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MEMOIKS 



ILLUSTRATIVE OF 



THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES 



BRISTOL. 



MEMOIRS 

ILLUSTRATIVE OF 

THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES 

OF 

BRISTOL, 

A!NT> 

THE WESTERN COUNTIES OF GREAT BRITAIN; 

WITH SOME OTHER COMMUNICATIONS, MADE TO 

THE ANNUAL MEETING OF 

€j$ antjtralugmil Stostitafe nf §xnt Britain nnir Maui, 

HELD AT BRISTOL, JULY 29 TO AUGUST 5, 1851 : 

WITH A GENERAL REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE MEETING, AND 
A CATALOGUE OF THE TEMPORARY MUSEUM. 



LONDON: 

PUBLISHED, FOR THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, 
26, SUFFOLK STREET, PALL MALL EAST, 

BY GEORGE BELL, 186, FLEET STREET. 






LONDON : 

STEVINS AND CO., PRINTERS, BELL TARD, 

TEMPLE BAR. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 
I. Genebal Repobt of the Pboceedings at the Beistol Meeting; including 
the Report of "Professor Willis' Discourse on Wells Cathedral, with Reports 
of Mr. Godwin's Discourse on St. Mary Redcliffe, and the Remarks on Bristol 
Cathedral, by the Rev. J. Eccles Caetee . . . . ix 

Catalogue op Antiquities exhibited in the Museum . , . lvii 

I. Memoie on the Municipal Antiquities of Beistol . . .1 

By Thomas Gaeeaed, Esq., Chamberlain of Bristol 

II. The Connection of Beistol with the Paety of De Montfoet . 13 

By Samuel Lucas, Esq., M.A. 

III. On some transactions in Beistol in the eeigns of Heney VI. and 

Edwaed IV. . . . . . . .28 

By William Tyson, F.S.A. 

IV. The St. Nicholas of the Towee . . . . . . 35 

By William Tyson, F.S.A. 

V. On Beitish and Roman Remains, illustrating communications with Venta 

Silurum, Ancient Passages of the Bristol Channel, and Antonine's Iter XIV. 40 

By Geoege Oemeeod, D.C.L., F.R.S. 
The Illustration accompanying this Memoir has been presented by the Author. 

VI. The Descent of the Eabldom of Gloucestee . . . .65 

By John Gough Nichols, Esq., F.S*.A. 

VII. CONTEIBUTIONS TO THE HlSTOEY OF BEISTOL . . . . 80 

By Joseph Buett, Esq. 

VIII. Obseevations on the Statue of the Dying Gladiatoe at Rome . 99 

By James Yates, Esq., F.R.S. 
The Illustrations of this Memoir have been presented by the Author. 

IX. Addeess on the Opening of the Aechitectueal Section . . 109 

By J. H. Maekland, D.C.L., F.R.S., S.A., President. 



VI CONTENTS. 

Page 

X. On the Deseceated and Destroyed Churches of Bristol . . . 118 

By John Bindon, Esq. 

XI. Notes on the Dominicans' Priory, Bristol .... 142 

By E. W. Godwin, Esq. 

XII. The Painted Glass at Bristol, Wells, Gloucester, and Exeter . 150 

By Charles Winston, Esq. 

XIII. Sepulchral Monuments of Bristol ..... 166 

By J. A. Clark, Esq. 

XIV. Ancient Coffin-slab in St. Philip's Church, Bristol . . . 182 

By E. W. Godwin, Esq. 

XV. Sherborne Minster, Dorsetshire . . . . . 185 

By the Rev. J. L. Petit. 

This Memoir, not communicated at the Bristol Meeting, has been here given 
as a very appropriate and valuable contribution to the history of Eccle- 
siastical Architecture in the Western Counties. The whole of the Illus- 
trations, prepared from drawings by the Author and by Miss Petit, have 
been generously presented by Mr. Petit to this volume. 

XVI. Sepulchral Monuments in Bristol and Wells Cathedrals, the 

Churches of Yatton and Bitton, &c. .... 237 

By the Rev. H. T. Ellacombe, M.A., F.S.A. 
Some of the Illustrations of this Memoir have been presented by the Author. 

XVII. Decorative Pavement Tiles, especially those with Heraldic Bearings, 
existing in Somersetshire Churches ..... 262 

By Lewis Way, Esq. 

XVIII. Account of the First Octavo Edition of Tyndale's New Testament . 270 

By the Rev. James Lee Warner, M.A. 
The Illustrations of this Memoir have been presented by the Author. 



The Central Committee of the Arch^ological Institute desire that it 
should be understood that they are not responsible for any statements or opinions 
expressed in the Publications of the Society, the authors of the respective Memoirs 
being alone answerable for the same. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page 
<> 1. British Urn, found in Wiltshire . . . . . . lx 

J 2. Bronze Celt, from the Thames . . . . . . lxi 

* 3. Bronze Mace-head, from Wiltshire ..... ibid. 

• 4. Bronze Relic, found in Somerset . . . . . Lxii 
d 5. Bronze Arrow, head ..... . lxiii 

- 6, 7. Bronze Palstave, from Lord Talbot's Collection . . . hdv 

- 8. Ornamented Balls, found in Sussex and Gloucestershire . . to face lxv 

- 9. Inscribed relic of Bone, found near Somerton . . . . ibid. 

J 10. Three Glass Beads, British and Roman ..... lxvii 

^ 11. Anglo-Saxon Brooch, found near Warwick . .to face lxix 

J 12. Inscribed Stone, Stowford, Devon ...... ibid. 

J 13. Bone Skates, from Lincoln . . . . . . ; lxx 

- 14. Bronze relic, from Sandford, Oxfordshire ..... lxxi 

J 15. Mould for casting Badges . . . . . . lxxii 

- 16. Glove of biuT leather, scaled ...... lxxviii 

j 17. Unique Spur, in Mr. Cookson's collection . . . . lxxix 

J 18. Fragment of Sculpture, Exeter ...... lxxxi 

19. Escutcheon (palimpsest), from Nether Heyford . . . . lxxxv 

1 20. Incised Slab, Ashington, Somerset . . .to face ibid. 

4 21. Seal of the Rural Deanery of Poulet, Somerset . . . . lxxxviii 

J 22. " Hand-brick," from Lincolnshire ...... xciii 

J 23, 24. Common Seal of the Burgesses of Bristol, obverse and reverse to face 1 

- 25. South side of the Roman Walls of Caerwent . . .to face 42 
26. Bronze Horn, at Schwerin ..... to face 104 

' 27. Mouth of Horn, from Statue of the dying Gladiator . . . . 108 

28. Map of the City of Bristol, showing the Ancient Buildings . to face 118 

J 29. Plan of the Crypt, St. Nicholas's Church, Bristol . . . . 123 

- 30— 32. Section, Pier, and Plan of Pier, ditto . . . . .125 
J 33—35. Remains of St. Leonard's Church, Bristol . . . . . 129 
i 36. Remains of St. Lawrence's Church, Bristol ..... 131 

37, 38. Stoup, ditto, and Plan, showing the position of the Chmch . . 132 

V 39. Plan, Dominican Priory, Bristol ...... 142 

- 40. Section, ditto ......... 145 r 

- 41, 42. West Window, Dormitory, ditto ...... 147 

J 43, 44. Details, and Section, ditto . . . . . . 148 

J 45, 46. Coffin slab, St. Philip's, Bristol , . . . . . 183 p 



Vlii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page 

47. Sherborne Minster — Details, Tower Pier . . . . . 188 

48. Arcade in Tower . . . . . . .90 

- 49. Diagrams, showing construction of Vaulting . . . . 193 

50. Example of Vaulting . . . . . ' . 194 

51. The like 195 

- 52, 53. Details, Abbey Buildings . . . . . .197 

54 — 72. Ground Plan, and Views of the Church and Abbey Buildings 201 — 236 

*** The whole of these admirable Illustrations, twenty-five in number, prepared 
from the drawings by the Author and Miss Petit, have been liberally presented 
to this volume by Mr. Petit. 

73. Tomb, attributed to Judge Cradock, Bristol Cathedral . . 238 

74. Effigy, supposed to represent Robert de Bitton . . . . 250 

75. Effigy of Bishop de Bitton, Wells . . . . . .256 

76. Seal of Thomas de Bitton, Bishop of Exeter . . . . 259 

77. Seal of Matthew de Bitton . . . . . . .261 

78. Decorative Tile, Exton . . . . . . . . 266 

79. St. Decumans . . . . . . . 267 

80, 81. Ditto . . . . . . . . . 268 

82 — 98. Heraldic Tiles, in Somersetshire, sixteen cuts, forming two pages, to face 268 

99. Facsimile of a woodcut, Colophon of Schoeffer .... 278 

100. from Tyndale's New Testament . . . . . 279 



GENERAL REPORT. 



PROCEEDINGS AT THE BRISTOL MEETING, 
July 29th to August 5th, 1851. 



The first Annual Assembly of the Institute, held in the western coun- 
ties of England, in compliance with the wishes of many members of the 
Society, assembled at Oxford, in 1850, commenced in Bristol, with the 
fullest encouragement on the part of the municipal authorities of that 
city. The Council House and Guildhall, with the adjoining buildings, 
were liberally placed at the disposal of the Society, and the proceedings 
of the week opened with the customary inaugural Meeting, which was 
held in the Guildhall. 

At twelve o'clock, the Lord Talbot de Malahide, the President, 
accompanied by John Scandbett Haeeoed, Esq. (President elect), 
with several eminent foreign Archaeologists and Members of the Insti- 
tute, were received by the Mayor, Sir John Keele Habeeeield, the 
Town Clerk, Chamberlain, and Civic Authorities, and proceeded to the 
Guildhall. 
Lord Talbot, on taking the chair, thus addressed the assembly : — 
It affords me great pleasure, that it has been our good fortune on 
this occasion, to visit this ancient and celebrated city, connected with so 
many ancient associations and so many important events in the history 
of this country. No city, except the metropolis, has played a greater 
part in the revolutions that have taken place since the Norman con- 
quest ; no city has more contributed to the greatness, the wealth, and 
the prosperity of the country. In every great struggle which has taken 
place, and through which has been perfected the constitution under 
which we live, from the time of the Barons' wars and Magna Charta 
down to the conclusion of the great rebellion, this city has been one of 
the most prominent points which each party struggled to obtain. It 
is not my intention to enter upon any disquisition on the subject of 
Archaeology, or the objects of the Archaeological Institute. Those 
objects will be more fully set forth by other persons who will address the 
meeting during the ensuing week. I have now the pleasing duty of 
transferring the brief authority which I have enjoyed as President of 

b 



the Institute, to a gentleman much better qualified foi the discharge of 
its functions. Before doing so it is impossible not to allude to the cir- 
cumstances under which I became President of the Archaeological In- 
stitute. There are so many considerations, both of a pleasurable and 
painful nature, mixed up with the office I have filled and with its 
fortunes and peregrinations, that I shall be considered to be a very in- 
efficient exponent of them, after the masterly and zealous manner in 
which the duties were discharged by our late noble President. It is 
impossible that any person acquainted or mixed up with the many 
Societies, scientific, artistic, literary and charitable, with which he 
invariably allied himself, should not feel deeply the loss the Society has 
sustained. The first occasion on which I had an opportunity of co- 
operating with the late Lord Northampton was in this very city, 
at the meeting of the British Association for the advancement of Science ; 
an occasion which, I am convinced, is still fresh in the recollection of 
many whom I now address. In proposing that Mr. Harford take the 
chair I am about to vacate, I should be unnecessarily detaining you 
if I alluded at any length to the many qualities he possesses for 
that office. Many gentlemen present^ must be well acquainted with 
the zeal, the activity, the benevolence, and liberality, he has ever dis- 
played in promoting the interests of this great city. Forward in every 
good work, he has manifested more than ordinary interest in those objects 
which we have at present more especially in view, and has shown his zeal 
for the preservation of those great and glorious works of art, for which 
this ancient city is renowned. The prominent part he took in restoring 
the noble edifice of St. Mary Eedcliffe cannot fail to impress you with the 
feeling, that you could not have a more efficient President than a gentle- 
man who has shown himself so fully sensible of the duties which one in 
his position owes to his country, and who has so efficiently promoted 
the views of this Society in the preservation of national monuments. 

John - S. Hareoed, Esq., of Blaize Castle, on rising, was received with 
much applause. He said — Ladies and gentlemen, I feel that the noble 
lord who has just addressed you, has said far more than I am entitled to, 
in my commendation ; and I beg of you, so far from acceding to the terms 
in which he has spoken of me, to understand that I address you with 
great diffidence, and beg you to make a kind allowance for the inadequacy 
which I feel competently to discharge the duties of the office entrusted 
to me. I can iruly say that I feel it is a great honour to be called upon 
to act as President of the Archaeological Institute on the occasion of its 
visit to this ancient city — a city to which I am attached by so many en- 
dearing associations, and which is so rich, as the noble lord justly said, 
in historic interest and picturesque reminiscences of the past. Sure I 
am, that I justly interpret the general feeling of the inhabitants of 
Bristol, when I say that one and all are truly happy to welcome among 



thein the members of a society combining so much talent and learning 
and devoted to the investigation of such important and interesting ob- 
jects. I was called upon to occupy the honourable position in which I 
am now placed, by the earnest solicitation of that noble lord to whom 
allusion has this moment been made with so much feeling and so much 
eloquence; and I can truly say, that I should not have been able to over- 
come the hesitation I naturally felt as to my competency for the office, 
had I not been assured then of having the benefit of that noble lord's 
co-operation and assistance. Could I have foreseen that, instead of 
welcoming him to Bristol as I hoped joyfully to have done — instead of 
sharing with him in the pleasure of those meetings of which he would 
have been sure to be in a great degree the life and soul — instead of that 
to have to offer a tribute to the memory of his many great and most 
amiable qualities of head and heart, to his varied accomplishments — a 
tribute sincere but unavailing of admiration and of esteem, I should not 
have been induced to permit myself to be placed in this position. Eely- 
ing, however, upon the efficient support of the many able friends of the 
Archaeological Institute by whom I am surrounded, and offering them 
my most cordial good wishes, I will do everything in my power to fur- 
ther the objects for which we are assembled, and also to promote the 
comfort and the enjoyment of all the members of the Society. 

I will now briefly state what I conceive to be the proper scope and 
object of Archaeological studies. And first of all, as probably there 
are many persons present not members of the Institute, who may have 
been led to regard us as scions of the very ancient but somewhat 
crotchetty family of the Dry-as-Dusts, I beg leave positively to repudiate 
the fact of any such alliance. The true Archaeologist, such, I mean, as 
the members of this Institute would recognise, has no superstitious ve- 
neration for ancient forms or objects, merely because they are ancient ; 
he is neither a puerile worshipper of the green rust of classical coins and 
old armour, nor has he a voracious and undiscriminating taste for collect- 
ing all sorts of curiosities within the precincts of a museum. Tar 
higher ; the Archaeologist surveys the objects of such museums with the 
eye of curiosity and of taste like other people ; but he chiefly values them 
as links between the Past and the Present, and he looks through them 
and by them, to the prosecution of objects philanthropic, useful, and 
important. Archaeology, justly interpreted — interpreted as it is by the 
principles and practice of the learned society I have now the honour to 
address, is the handmaid and purveyor of history, the sage commentator 
on ancient customs and ancient art, the acute and enlightened inter- 
preter of the records and memorials of the Past, whether oral, written, 
or monumental. The artist visits Greece, or Italy, or Egypt, to fasci- 
nate and to charm our eyes with the magic tints of his pencil, and to bring 
awav with him striking reminiscences of scenes and objects celebrated in 

* b2 



history or in song. The mere traveller goes there to gratify a laudable 
curiosity, or to add to his stores of useful knowledge ; but the learned 
Archaeologist pauses where the artist merely paints and the passing 
traveller takes only a brief survey, to extract from the objects he inspects, 
means and instruments for uplifting the veil from the Past, and for 
helping to solve one and another great problem in the history of man, 
religious, moral, social, political. Thus it is that a Young and a Cham- 
pollion have astonished all Europe, by discovering the key which unlocks 
the hidden meaning of the hieroglyphical language of Egypt. Thus it 
is that a Layard, a Eawlinson, and others, have succeeded, not only in 
extracting from the bowels of the earth the sculptures of Nineveh, but 
have successfully deciphered the cuneiform characters and picture lan- 
guage which cover many portions of their surface. Erom both these 
quarters we may venture to hope that many important additions will be 
made to our historical knowledge. In the same way, by the collation 
and the comparison of various monuments of ancient art in Asia Minor, 
Greece, and Sicily, the history of Grecian sculpture has during the last 
half century been traced from its first condition of almost Egyptian in- 
sipidity to its next stage of a rude imitation of nature, and thence, step 
by step, to the lofty grandeur and ideal perfection of the age of Pericles. 
And let me add that, much in the same way the history of Christian Art 
is now in course of illustration, from its first feeble germ as displayed in 
the fresco paintings of the catacombs of Borne and Naples, through the 
various phases of its progress and decline, whether at Eome or Byzan- 
tium, till it sunk into the imbecility of the dark ages, and at length, 
under the impulse of reviving Literature, broke forth again into being, 
with poetic fervour and vigour in the school of Giotto and his followers, 
and finally attained its acme of perfection in the sublime works of a Da 
Vinci, a Michael Angelo, and a Bafiaelle, Thus, also, a Mr. Collingwood 
Bruce, a Mr. Roach Smith, and others, by their elaborate and accurate 
researches have recently thrown new and important light upon the 
Eoman occupation of Britain, and have verified many curious facts illus- 
trative of the habits, luxuries, and superstitions of the Eoman settlers, 
by monumental evidence the most convincing. "We are indebted for 
these and other interesting historical facts and illustrations to the in- 
defatigable researches and the mental acuteness of a succession. of highly 
gifted Archaeologists pursuing their way sometimes singly, sometimes 
associated with others, often exposed to difficulties and privations, and 
chiefly stimulated by the noble ambition of correcting error and of en- 
larging the domain of truth and knowledge. 

The range of Archaeological investigation is, however, so vast, and the 
expense of pursuing it in foreign lands so costly, that in many respects it 
mocks the efforts of individuals, and especially invites the co-operation of 
learned societies like our own, and the effectual interference and pecuniary 



aid of enlightened governments. Of the great value and efficiency of such 
co-operation we have many proofs. How little, for instance, did the British 
conquerors of India duly comprehend its wild mythology, its remarkable 
traditions, its native poetry and literature, or the complication of its va- 
rious sects and social distinctions, till the Asiatic Society, under the 
auspices of Sir "William Jones and aided by his profound learning and 
philosophical intellect, poured a flood of light upon these and other im- 
portant particulars ! The remarkable facts thus gradually elicited, did 
not merely gratify the curiosity of philosophers and literati, but essentially 
aided the British Government in carrying out its wise and benevolent re- 
solution of introducing among their Indian subjects the enlightened and 
equitable principles of British jurisprudence, with a due consideration 
for native laws, prejudices, and opinions. At a later period, the same 
facts also rendered essential aid to Missionary Societies, in the prosecu- 
tion of their noble and disinterested efforts to communicate to the natives 
of Hindostan the pure light and the inestimable blessings of the Chris- 
tian Revelation. The history of the celebrated French expedition to 
Egypt under Napoleon, forcibly proves how much a willing Government 
may effect in aid of Archaeological researches. The military triumphs 
of that army were but momentary ; but the train of learned men who, 
through the enlightened policy of the French Government, were attached 
to it, have acquired for France a durable reputation, by their extensive 
researches, by their splendid publications, and, above all, by the ardent 
spirit of inquiry which those researches stirred up in their native country, 
and also in our own. Denon and his coadjutors first broke up the 
ground which has since been so successfully cultivated by a succession 
of eminent archaeologists, artists, and travellers, among whom, in addition 
to the two distinguished names already adverted to, I may be allowed to 
mention those of Wilkinson and Roberts, and, still more recently, that 
of his Excellency, Chevalier Bunsen, whose presence among us this day 
you will all, I am sure, unite with me in most cordially greeting. The 
researches and publications of these eminent men have not only placed 
before us correct and artistic illustrations of the magnificent structures 
which impart a poetic grandeur and interest to the borders of the Nile, 
but have also so familiarised us with the domestic habits and utensils of 
the ancient Egyptians, and with their superstitious observances, that we 
are able to follow them almost as spectators, from their very cradles to 
the remarkable ceremonies of their final obsequies. A similar light has 
been thrown, by the researches of the last thirty years, upon a people 
more refined, but less understood than the Egyptians. I allude to the 
ancient Etruscans. They had long been known to us by name, and by 
the possession of many of those beautiful and tasteful vases, the dis- 
covery of which, in the recesses of their tombs, formed a new epoch in 
the principles of artistic shape and decoration. But modern Archaeology 



has since explored those tombs, and innumerable others since discovered, 
with a more intelligent and acute eye, and has extracted from them 
copious materials for illustrating the domestic habits, the religious rites, 
the festivals and amusements, and the warlike habits of this most singular 
people. The profusion of vases, domestic utensils, bronzes, warlike arms 
and weapons, and personal ornaments proper to both sexes, in gold and 
gems, found within these subterranean recesses, is prodigious ; but the 
numerous paintings in fresco which adorn them, form the principal key- 
to their pursuits and habits. They were not Greeks, yet their affinities 
with Greece were most close and intimate. They were not Eomans, yet 
they gradually blended with their Roman conquerors and imparted to 
them not only their learning and civilisation, but many of their religious 
rites and observances. They were familiar with the mythology and the 
heroes of Homer, and they had also a mythology and heroes of their own, 
which are wrapped in mystery. Their alphabet is composed of Greek 
Pelasgic letters, but the language which it involves has hitherto proved 
inscrutable. Their paintings are in general Grecian in their style, and 
the inscriptions on their vases are chiefly Greek ; but their bronzes, 
which are exceedingly fine, bear upon them inscriptions in Etruscan 
characters. Their sculpture is also original. These particulars have 
been illustrated by many learned Italian Archaeologists, and have been 
placed in a popular form before the British public, by the elegant pen 
of Mrs. Hamilton Grey, whose presence I had hoped would have graced 
our meeting on the present occasion. I am charged by herself and Mr. 
G-rey with their regrets at their unavoidable absence. 

But I must not forget, while glancing in this way at the rich materials 
of foreign Archaeology, that there is a branch of our subject nearer home, 
which has peculiar claims' upon our patriotic feelings as well as upon 
our high admiration. I allude to British Archaeology in all its 
parts, but especially to that branch of it which is connected with our 
ancient Ecclesiastical Architecture of which we possess so many splendid 
monuments. I will venture to say that more has been done during the 
last half century to preserve, to illustrate, and to restore those glorious 
fabrics of past times, than was effected during the three centuries which 
have elapsed since the Reformation. They were centuries characterised 
not merely by inexcusable neglect of those venerable edifices, but by the 
most barbarous inroads upon their proper style and character. Think 
of that perverted taste which could mix up with their chaste and har- 
monious features, the incongruity of screens, altar-pieces, and portals 
in a paltry style, half Roman, half Arabesque. Think of the glaring 
whitewash which often over-lay the pensive tones of their clustered 
columns and swelling arches and fretted roofs. Think of the same vile 
material mercilessly applied to the rich glossy tints of their venerable 
oak- work. Think of their fine tracery and antique tombs, often buried 



XV 

in a mass of raw plaster ; and their massive walls torn down to erect 
hard by, some mean and paltry edifice. Let it not, however, be sup- 
posed that this species of barbarism is peculiar to England or to Pro- 
testantism. There is no country where it has reigned and revelled so 
much as in Italy. There is no country where it still retains so strong a 
hold. "Witness, among innumerable other instances, the interior of the 
church of St. Maria Novella, at Florence, originally a beautiful example 
of Italian Gothic, and which Michael Angelo used to call in fondness 
his bride, but now so utterly disguised by meretricious ornaments and 
innovations, that I feel sure, could that great man speak, he would 
divorce himself from her. Happily this sera of perverted taste has 
passed away; we now jealously watch over our ancient edifices, and 
aided by the accurate researches of various able and enlightened Archaeo- 
logists and architects, among whom, let me particularly mention, a 
Hope, a Cockerell, a Whewell, a Britton, and a Willis, we are become 
familiar with the successive styles and epochs of English Ecclesiastical 
Architecture, and also with the distinctive features of the corresponding 
styles and epochs of the ancient Church Architecture of France and 
Germany, and we are further able to trace them all back in their essen- 
tial features, amidst many varieties of detail, to one common type per- 
vading the early Christian structures erected under the auspices of 
Constantine, Theodosius, and Justinian. I may venture to say that 
Eristol will gratify the researches of those ladies and gentlemen who 
have honoured it with their presence on this occasion, by many rich and 
varied specimens of Ancient Church Architecture. In the Church of St. 
Mary Eedcliffe in particular, they will behold one of the finest existing 
parochial churches in the kingdom — a cathedral in miniature, in all its 
parts most richly and tastefully decorated. By an inspection of the re- 
pairs and restorations carrying on there, visitors will see how much not 
only Bristol, but every admirer of Gothic Architecture throughout the 
kingdom, is indebted to the Canynges Society, a highly respectable body of 
the citizens of Bristol, who, acting in the most disinterested spirit, have 
zealously devoted themselves to the promotion of this important object, 
on principles equally correct and scientific. It is a work of great ex- 
pense and difficulty, to be fully achieved only by time, by perseverance, 
and by much public liberality. There are many other objects of interest to 
be seen in Bristol, a clear and succinct summary of which has been drawn 
up by a most deserving individual, Mr. William Tyson, a gentleman con- 
nected with the Mirror office, and to whose merits I am most anxious to 
pay this tribute, as he is not so well known as his abilities deserve. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I have delayed you for some time, but the 
nature of the subject must be my apology. "The proper study of 
mankind is man," and it is the history of man illustrated by the 
works of man, which, as I began by observing, forms the proper 



XVI 

scope and aim of Archaeology. Having said this, and thanking yon for 
the kind attention yon have paid me, I will now, with yonr permission, 
call on the Chevalier Bunsen to address you. 

His Excellency the Chevalier Bxjnsen then rose to propose a vote 
of thanks to their noble President, who had that day vacated his post — 
Lord Talbot de Malahide. The Institute had sustained a most 
severe loss by the untimely decease of a nobleman endeared to all who 
had the honour of his acquaintance, and whose memory must be held in 
especial veneration by every member of the Archaeological Institute. 
In the trying occasion when that kind and generous patron had been 
suddenly removed from the sphere of beneficial and zealous exertion in 
fostering every intelligent purpose for the promotion of Science or Art, 
Lord Talbot had, with the most kindly readiness, consented to supply 
the place of their lamented President. His attainments, cultivated 
taste, and knowledge of the subjects to which the purposes of the In- - 
stitute were devoted, had eminently qualified Lord Talbot for that dis- 
tinction. The Chevalier Bunsen alluded in most feeling terms, to the 
friendship which had subsisted for thirty years between Lord North- 
ampton and himself; they had been associated at the earlier period of 
their acquaintance, in the formation of the Archaeological Institute of 
Eome, of which the late Marquis was one of the chief founders and 
most constant friends. 

The Master of Telnity College, Cambridge, seconded the vote of 
thanks to Lord Talbot. He felt sincere gratification in being called upon 
to express his cordial sympathy in the thanks which it was proposed now 
to offer to their late accomplished President. Dr. "Whewell observed that 
he had first become acquainted with that nobleman some years since in 
the University where he hoped men had always learned, and would 
continue to learn, to have a veneration and love for antiquity, whilst 
their minds became disciplined for the fulfilment of the highest duties, 
social or public, to which they might be called. "Whilst, however, it was 
grateful to him to bear testimony to the attainments of their late Pre- 
sident, he could not refrain from expressing also his deep sympathy in 
the sad tribute paid by that eminent person who had just addressed the 
meeting, to the memory of that lamented patron whose place Lord 
Talbot had been called upon to supply. 

Mr. Habeoed then informed the meeting that a memoir had been 
provided for their gratification on the present occasion, by a gentleman 
well known to many present for his assiduous and able researches re- 
garding the antiquities of their city. The Memoir, relating to the 
municipal antiquities, the high civic offices, and muniments of Bristol, 
must be highly acceptable, especially since, at the close of the present 
meeting, the regalia and charters, with many of those ancient objects to 
which the observations referred, would be submitted to the inspection of 



the Society, by the kind permission of the corporation, in the Council 
Chamber. 

Mr. Tuckeb, at the President's request, then read the Memoir in 
question. (It is printed at length in this Volume, p. I.) 

Lord Talbot moved the cordial thanks of the meeting to the author 
of the interesting Memoir, so appropriately brought before the Society 
on this occasion, as introductory to their investigation of the antiquities 
of this great city. 

The Chevalier Kestxeb, Vice-President of the Archaeological In- 
stitute of Eome, seconded the motion. He assured the meeting of the 
gratification he felt in participating in the proceedings of a Society, 
formed for kindred purposes to those which he had long felt the deepest 
interest in promoting. He congratulated them on being assembled in 
a city so rich in ancient recollections, and expressed the hope that the 
members of the Institute might be encouraged to extend their re- 
searches to Italy, assuring them of a cordial reception at the museum he 
had formed in Eome. 

A vote of thanks to the President, proposed by Mr. Mabexan"D, and 
seconded by Sir John Boileatj, Bart., was carried with acclamation, and 
the meeting adjourned to visit the display prepared in the Council 
Chamber. The members were there received by the Town Clerk, Daniel 
Burges, Esq., and the Chamberlain, Thomas Garrard, Esq., whose oblig- 
ing attention and remarks upon the numerous objects displayed, en- 
hanced the gratification of the visitors. The regalia were disposed with 
much taste at one end of the saloon, the walls of which are covered with 
full-length royal and distinguished portraits. The charters and ap- 
pendent seals, some of great rarity, were shown in glazed cases. A 
number of records and autographs were exhibited, and the company 
withdrew highly gratified with this display and demonstration of the 
cordial feeling of the city of Bristol towards the Society. 

The visitors, on quitting the Council House, dispersed to visit various 
objects of interest, the Cathedral, the Churches, and other points of 
attraction, with the aid of the notices compiled for their use by the late 
Mr. TV. Tyson, E.S.A., whose researches, for many years devoted to the 
investigation of the antiquities and recollections of his native city, had 
been in the kindest manner rendered available to promote the objects of 
the Institute. The majority repaired to the " Temporary Museum," 
which by permission of the Lord Bishop of the Diocess, and the council 
of the Institution, had been arranged at the Bishop's College, Park- 
street. 

In the evening a meeting was held in the Theatre of the Philosophical 
Institution, Lord Talbot de Malahide presiding. A Memoir was 
read by Mr. Ebeeman, M. A., " On the Preservation and Eestoration of 
Ancient Monuments," of which the following is an abstract : — 



XV111 

By ancient monuments on the present occasion are to be understood 
all antiquarian remains of every description, though a more especial 
reference is intended to the Architectural Monuments of our own 
country. A wide difference exists between our position with regard to 
them, and that of the ages in which they were erected. Whatever 
minuter varieties of opinion may exist among Archaeological inquirers, 
one grand principle is the very essence of their pursuit, that all ancient 
remains are to be sedulously guarded from unnecessary destruction or 
innovation. A few persons have indeed put out some wild " destruc- 
tive ' ' theories, and it is to be hoped that their numbers are as few as 
their opinions are extravagant. But on the other hand, no persons 
were ever more truly to be called "destructive" than the great 
Mediaeval architects ; they destroyed and altered without mercy ; it was 
probably but seldom, that they entirely destroyed a sound building 
simply to erect it in a more beautiful form, but it is clear that they 
habitually rebuilt and remodelled where we should merely repair and 
restore. The cause of this was that the buildings on which they worked, 
could riot from many circumstances have acquired that factitious value 
as monuments of antiquity which renders them valuable in our eyes, 
irrespective of their use or beauty. "Whether this destructive habit of 
the old builders is matter of regret at the present day, may admit of 
several answers ; it has doubtless lost us very many noble edifices, more 
complete specimens of their respective styles than we now possess, but 
on the other hand it has opened to us a most interesting and improving 
field for research in the changes which our larger buildings have under- 
gone at successive epochs. 

But while we probably all theoretically hold the principle of " pre- 
servation," as opposed to the Mediaeval habit of destruction, there are 
wide differences of opinion upon almost every practical question. There 
may be said to be two extreme views, or at least tendencies : — First, that 
love of over-restoration, often, in fact, amounting to practical destruction, 
which with the very best intentions has done such irreparable harm to 
our churches, and is now even threatening our castles ; and Secondly, 
an objection to all restoration as a matter of principle, which has been 
set forth in very strong terms by Mr. Buskin, who considers that, when 
an old building is absolutely dangerous, it is better to destroy than to 
restore. In opposition to this view, compounded of extreme conser- 
vatism and extreme destructiveness, a distinction should be drawn be- 
tween two great classes of antiquities, each of which demands its own 
appropriate treatment. 

Antiquarian objects, in the widest sense, may be divided into two great 
classes : — First, those whose value is purely antiquarian or aesthetical, not 
being applied to any modern use. Secondly, those which, in addition to 
their antiquarian value, are still devoted to their original purposes. The 



former should be simply preserved ; the latter, when necessary, should 
be faithfully and reverentially restored. 

The first class is a very heterogeneous one, comprising nearly the 
whole class of what are known as " antiquities" in the restricted sense ; 
also pictures and statues, any innovation in which is at once condemned ; 
also those architectural works which cannot now be fittingly employed 
to any practical purpose. Mediaeval castles are among the most im- 
portant antiquities we possess ; they should be most carefully preserved, 
but simply preserved as ruins — mere relics of the past ; a castle used as t 
a dwelling-house is at once destroyed as an architectural antiquity, and 
the restoration of any portion of a ruined one is almost more destructive 
of its picturesque and historical value. A ruined church again, unless 
in some rare exceptional instances, is simply an object for preservation, 
though its consecrated character may fairly claim for it a still more re- 
spectful care than in other cases. Primaeval antiquities, it is clear, 
should be simply preserved ; it may even be doubted whether it would 
not be an unreality to repair such damage as the recent wanton dis- 
lodgement of a rocking-stone by workmen employed on the South 
Wales Bail way. All these purely antiquarian or sesthetical objects 
should be sedulously preserved without any attempt at restoration, and, 
except in the case of movable articles, be preserved in their own original 
places. The removal of the Elgin marbles, for instance, has destroyed 
the whole meaning of the marbles themselves as parts of a whole, and 
has still more irreparably ruined the building of which they formed an 
ornament. Even the removal of the Nimroud sculptures by Dr. Layard 
was open, though in a less degree, to the same censure ; and the practical 
argument, the benefit conferred on Art in our own country, cannot apply 
in this case. 

The second class actually consists, for the most part, of remains of 
Ecclesiastical Architecture, but includes also all objects, whether archi- 
tectural or not, which are still retained in use ; as, official insignia, college 
plate, and the like. While the former belong wholly to the Past, in these 
the Past and the Present have an equal claim. Mr. Euskin indeed ven- 
tures to say : — " They are not ours. They belong partly to those who 
built them, and partly to all the generations of mankind who are to 
follow us." But it is certainly not easy to see why we who now are, 
have not at least as much right in them as our posterity. In all cases 
of this sort, faithful restoration, when really necessary, after the original 
model, is the only means by which the two claims, of the Past and the 
Present, can be folly reconciled. The identity preserved by it is amply 
sufficient to sustain that moral effect, that lesson of the connection of 
the Past with the Present, which is the end designed by the retention 
in use of any ancient object. Our ancient churches, our ancient halls 
of justice, are the living memorials of our ecclesiastical and civil history, 



XX 

our right and fellowship in which is not to be sacrificed to any antiqua- 
rian scruple which might hinder us from really necessary and faithful 
restoration. It is hardly possible to believe, though the inference follows 
necessarily from his words, that Mr. Ruskin himself would prefer to 
destroy, rather than restore, the Hall and Abbey of Westminster, con- 
secrated as they are by every religious and national association. And, 
in fact, that author seems to stand quite alone in his extreme view of 
rejecting all restoration ; even those who sometimes seem almost to 
shrink from the name, are not commonly found to object in practice to 
any restoration which is really necessary and faithful. 

Restorations, then, of objects of the second class may be undertaken 
without fear, provided they really deserve those two epithets. A re- 
storation is necessary when required either for stability or decency ; but 
it is certainly not necessary to renovate the surface of every stone which 
is at all worn or mutilated, a process at once -destroying the whole asso- 
ciation of antiquity. A restoration is faithful when whatever new work 
is required is an exact reproduction of the old. Too strong a protest 
cannot be made against the frequent practice of innovating and tamper- 
ing with ancient buildings, destroying their original or characteristic 
features, in order to make them accord with some pet idea of the archi- 
tect or benefactor. Cases may, indeed, occur where it is really necessary, 
and therefore fully justifiable, to destroy an ancient building and 
substitute another of quite different character ; but such cases ought to 
stand on their own ground, and not be allowed to confound themselves 
with genuine cases of restoration. An indignant protest against the claim 
put forth by a few architects to innovate upon ancient structures ad 
libitum, has been made by one of the most eminent members of the pro- 
fession in the " Treatise on Church Restoration," recently published by 
Mr. Scott, and a brief summary of sound principles on the subject forms 
the concluding paragraph of Mr. Petit' s work on Tewkesbury Abbey. 

A discussion arose on some of the points incidentally alluded to in the 



Mr. Hawkins made some observations in defence of Lord Elgin, on 
the ground that he had dug up nearly the whole of the Parthenon sculp- 
tures from the ruins, and had removed only a very small number of 
fragments from their original position. Dr. Layard, he observed, was 
fully justified in transporting to this country the Assyrian sculptures 
found by him ; since, had they been exposed to the air, the stone of which 
they are formed would have speedily crumbled to decay. 

Mr. Peeeman admitted that Mr. Hawkins had made out a better case 
for Lord Elgin than he had thought possible ; but lie felt certain, from 
the accounts he had read of that nobleman's proceedings, that some, at 
least, of the statues were removed from their original place in the 



frieze. Mr. Hawkins admitted that one was. Now, he contended that, 
if only a single figure, however mutilated, remained in its natural place, 
it must have served to suggest the general effect of the whole when 
complete, and to exhibit the relation maintained in the building between 
the two arts of architecture and sculpture, in a way which was now ren- 
dered impossible. Consequently, the removal of such a single figure was 
an irreparable loss, and fully justified the expressions of which he had 
made use. With regard to Dr. Layard, Mr. Hopkinson, who had taken 
part in the argument, had omitted to notice that he had drawn a marked 
distinction between him and Lord Elgin ; he had expressly said, " Far 
be it from me to place the honoured name of Layard in the same class 
with that of the destroyer of the Parthenon ;" he felt as much admira- 
tion as any man for the energy and devotedness displayed by Dr. Layard, 
and as full an appreciation of the wonderful and important nature of his 
discoveries. But those feelings were fully compatible with a disapproval 
of the course taken by Dr. Layard in removing 'any sculptures which 
still remained in situ ; to the removal of those which had been already 
dislodged of course no objection could be taken. It was argued that 
in both cases the only alternative lay between the removal of the 
sculptures, and their speedy destruction from the weather and other 
causes. Now, he must himself confess a feeling, allied, it might be, 
to superstition, but one which he felt very strongly, that were he never 
so certain that such really was the alternative, he would at least leave 
the guilt of destruction to others, and not cumber himself with a pro- 
ceeding barbarous in itself, even as the means of forestalling still more 
barbarous devastations. 

Mr. Nash, of Clifton, offered some observations in corroboration of 
the arguments advanced by Mr. Freeman. Lord Talbot observed that 
Dr. Layard could scarcely have adopted any other course than the re- 
moval of the valuable vestiges discovered by him. He was of opinion 
that all mutilations and wanton disintegration of ancient monuments, 
such as had been committed in Egypt by cutting out portions of sculp- 
ture, was wholly unjustifiable. 

At the close of the discussion the members were invited to adjourn to 
the museum of the Philosophical Institution, where refreshments were 
offered by the kind hospitality of that society. Every facility was 
afforded during the whole meeting, by that society, with free access to 
their library, museum, and collections. 

On Wednesday, July 30th, an excursion was arranged to visit Wells 
Cathedral, and a numerous party quitted Bristol at an early hour to 
traverse the Mendip hills ; a journey of some difficulty, that mode of 
access being unfortunately the only means available, by which the 
general desire that Wells should be included in the arrangements of the 



meeting at Bristol, could be gratified. The discourses, by Professor 
Willis and Professor Cockerell, E.A., were delivered in the Court 
House at Wells, and both lecturers subsequently accompanied their 
hearers to make an actual examination of the fabric, and the sculptures 
by which it is decorated. It is greatly to be regretted that the follow- 
ing inadequate report of the masterly dissertation delivered by Professor 
Willis, is all that can be offered in the present publication. The sub- 
ject will be fully treated, it may be hoped, with other Cathedrals upon 
which the Professor has lectured (so much to the gratification of his 
audience at the successive meetings of the Institute), in his forthcoming 
"Architectural Histories of the Cathedrals of England." Of the ad- 
mirable discourse and demonstration given on this occasion by Professor 
Cockerell, upon the Sculptures, to the elucidation of which he has long 
devoted his attention, a notion will be derived, more satisfactory to our 
readers than any report which could here be offered, from the Professor's 
interesting volume, tne " Iconography of the West Front of Wells 
Cathedral," published shortly after the meeting at Bristol. 

The following Report will give some idea, although necessarily a 
very imperfect one, of the interesting dissertation on the "Architectural 
History" of the Cathedral. Professor Willis commenced by observing: — 

" I shall endeavour, on the present occasion, to direct attention not 
merely to the Cathedral itself, but to the various buildings also, by 
which it is surrounded, and to the peculiar features in their general 
character and arrangements, which here appear to claim especial 
consideration. The cloisters on the south side occupy a much larger 
area than in other Cathedrals, whilst on the north side the Chapter 
House is built much after the same fashion as that of the Cathedral at 
Lincoln, and at other places. Most usually, indeed, in Benedictine mo- 
nasteries, the cloisters were placed surrounding a square area ; but in 
this particular structure you will observe that they occupy only three 
sides. Besides this church and the cloisters, they had a number of 
dwellings appropriated, belonging to the peculiar body of men who 
formerly resided here. Most of the Cathedrals which have already 
engaged our attention at the annual meetings of the Institute, were 
governed by Benedictine monks, or monks of some order, and this con- 
tinued till the time of the Eeformation. But this Cathedral, from the 
earliest period, was ruled by a body of canons presided over by a dean; 
and accordingly buildings are here found destined for their residence, 
in various kinds of styles, most of them, however, presenting sufficiently 
distinct characters to enable us to recognise their age and intention. 
There is, besides, sufficient authority in the documents of the Cathedral, 
by which we are enabled to identify them. Here we have the Deanery, 
a magnificent specimen of domestic architecture. Then there are 



various buildings which were inhabited by the canons who had re- 
sidences, which, in the times of Edward I., were inclosed within the 
outer walls. Besides, there was attached to this Cathedral a body of 
men termed " vicars choral," who, in the olden time, used to reside in the 
town ; but great abuses arose, and in consequence this college was 
erected, occupying two sides of the street, forming a sort of elongated 
court, and one of the most complete specimens of architecture, half 
domestic and half ecclesiastic, which could be devised. There is a re- 
fectory, and everything complete for their requirements, within these four 
walls. There is the entrance under the gateway, and also a covered 
way communicating with the Cathedral, and other arrangements, such 
as a chapel, and library, with other offices for the accommodation 
of the establishment. In addition to this, we have one of the most 
magnificent episcopal palaces in this country. It is walled about like a 
fortress with bastions and other features of military architecture, and 
is surrounded by a moat ; it would have sustained a long siege, accord- 
ing to the system of warfare in the times of the middle ages. It had 
various water supplies, and a great quantity of water ran into the moat, 
and afterwards turned a number of mills in the neighbourhood, as indeed 
is the case to the present day. "We find also, within the area of the 
palace, a strong military gateway ; there was also a hall of large dimen- 
sions, a great part of which remains, a noble chapel, and various domestic 
offices. Besides this may be noticed a remarkable barn, one of those which 
were frequently erected in the middle ages in monastic establishments, 
and of which this is a very fine specimen. One of the greatest peculiarities 
of the gateway which leads into the Bishop's Palace and to the ceme- 
tery, is that the entrance and the exit places meet at right angles. I 
shall now direct your attention to the Architectural History of the 
Cathedral. The Cathedral contains in itself two sources of history. In 
the first place it marks its own story by the manner in which the masonry 
is put together, and which enables those who understand the subject to 
tell the different portions which were successively constructed. In ad- 
dition to this, however, we want some data ; for we have no continuous 
history of this Cathedral, or, indeed, of any structure of the kind, and 
these data are to be found in the valuable and various collections of 
documents which are preserved in the custody of the Cathedral authori- 
ties. These documents, by the kindness of the Dean and Chapter, I 
have had an opportunity of examining, and I have thus been enabled to 
glean a good deal of valuable information. I much regret that these 
documents have hitherto been so much neglected, as they throw great 
light on the structure of this Cathedral. It may be described as con- 
sisting of an Early English nave, front, and transepts ; also a portion of 
the choir, which appears to have been elongated in the late Decorated 
style. The tower was also carried up in the late Decorated style, with 



the admixture of some Perpendicular work, as I shall point out to your 
notice and explain presently. There is a Decorated Chapter House, 
besides the two great western towers, the upper parts of which are in 
the Decorated style. 

(i I must now occupy your attention by some details in regard to the 
early history of the Cathedral. In the first place, it may be stated, that 
Bishop Jocelyn, who presided from 1206 to 1242 — the beginning of the 
Early English style, rebuilt the Church, the old Norman fabric having 
become exceedingly ruinous. This appears from the ancient evidences, 
or "History of the Canons of "Wells," which contains incidental notices of 
works that were in progress at various times. These documents are 
carefully preserved here, amongst the muniments of the Chapter. The 
first is a great white book, the Liber albus ; the second, the Liber rufus, 
or red book ; and the third is a book, like the first, in white binding, 
but which does not appear to have had any distinguishing name. These 
documents contain a vast collection of Chapter acts, of convocations and 
deliberations, and I find in the Chapter acts that certain changes and 
alterations of the Cathedral are incidentally spoken of. By these do- 
cuments to which I have had access, many things are laid open which 
will assist us much in the investigation. By these evidences we learn 
that Jocelyn had authority to enlarge, or, as he said, to rebuild 
the Cathedral, and he succeeded so far in finishing it that he enlarged 
the nave and completed the parts devoted to the service. To attribute 
the entire Cathedral, and the west front, to the times of that prelate, as 
has usually been supposed, must be erroneous. The style of the Cathedral 
upon examination will be found to be very homogeneous, and it requires 
a practised eye to distinguish the different styles of the nave and tran- 
septs ; but I will endeavour to point out some simple indications, which 
may suffice to show that the style of the transepts is somewhat different 
from that of the nave, although the general design is the same. There 
are certain traces by which we can judge where the alterations were 
made, because the builders, although they adhered as closely as possible 
to the original design, performed their work in a superior manner to 
their predecessors. The sculpture is executed with much greater skill; 
the intermediate compartments also, and the triforium between the 
clerestory windows of the arch above, differ exceedingly in form. This 
shows that the nave and transepts, and the parts necessary for the ser- 
vice, were first completed, and the rest left unfinished, trusting that a 
spirit of liberality would be aroused, and that those parts of the edifice 
then deficient, would subsequently be completed. On proceeding into 
the choir, it will be noticed that the three first arches are in the same 
style as those in the transepts. There might have been the same style 
in the Dave as in these transepts ; but on going behind and examining 
them, it will be found that they belonged to the transepts. It is clear, 



XXV 

therefore, that at one time the choir must have been in the same style 
as the transepts, and it would appear that Jocelyn did not finish the 
church further than all those parts required for the services, and the 
nave must have been erected afterwards, when sufficient funds had been 
collected. 

" We have now to ascertain what was the exact length of this part of 
the structure (at that earlier period), for at present the nave is very- 
much longer than it was originally. It must be observed, that we find 
three arches of the first period, the Early English style. There are but 
two piers, however, upon which these arches rest, which are in the Early 
English style, the other piers appear to be of a subsequent period, in the 
Decorated style. It seems clear, therefore, that the builders who made 
this la^t alteration, found that this pier would not suit their purpose ; 
they would not otherwise have taken the trouble to insert a new one, 
inasmuch as this was an operation of considerable trouble and difficulty. 
It was contrary also to the principles of these mediaeval architects, who 
never removed any stone that could by possibility be allowed to remain 
in its place. It was clear, therefore, that this pier must have been of 
a different design to the rest ; for when the side aisles and the vaulting 
shafts are examined, it will be found that they are all of this form. 

" When we inspect the exterior of the Cathedral an early English wall 
is noticed, extending for a considerable space, to the part where the 
Decorated portions begin. I find also that there are large and broad 
Early English buttresses ; and comparing these broad buttresses with 
the tower, I am led to conclude that the weight originally pressed on 
the arches at the end, and therefore strong abutments were required on 
the side aisles ; and instead of having smaller supports, we accordingly 
find large buttresses of this description inserted to sustain that mighty 
gable. I therefore conclude that at onetime the church was cut off with 
a square end, and a high wall pierced with arches at the end, requiring 
strong buttresses at the side aisle ; and I also infer that this Cathedral 
had an aisle running round the back of it with a square end. It probably 
had also a Lady Chapel, with which this aisle communicated, as it is not 
likely that an aisle would have been provided to go so far, unless it had 
complete access to the altars. You are probably aware that aisles, thus 
so running round at the backs of the choirs, were termed procession 
paths, because the procession of the clergy went out at the doors of the 
choir into that aisle, and visited the various altars, and performed their 
devotions at them. These altars, it is well known, were visited with the 
greatest possible solemnity ; this arrangement is very similar to that to 
be noticed at Salisbury, and doubtless it arose from the aisle communi- 
cating with some altar of especial importance ; and the reason why it did 
not quite run round the transept was because the altars were always 
placed under the east walls, and therefore it was not necessary for any 

C 



XXVI 

procession to pass by the transept to visit them. I conceive that the 
building erected by Bishop Jocelyn extended to a limit very little short 
of the length of the present fabric, and that the side-aisle walls at this 
point received a certain interruption. The nature of that interruption 
must now be explained. As I have on a former occasion described, 
when speaking of Salisbury Cathedral, it will be found that in the 
best Early English Cathedrals, the masonry is of the most regular 
and beautiful description. "We are too apt to imagine that the ma- 
sonry of the middle ages was laid with great regularity; but a close 
inspection will convince the observer that on the contrary, in Early 
English Cathedrals the masonry is generally found to be of a regular 
description, laid in regular courses, but that of the middle ages is quite 
of a different character ; and this is one of the principal means which 
we have of judging of the periods at which various parts of Cathedrals 
have been built or restored. Eor example, in this Cathedral, if the 
side-aisle walls of the nave are narrowly examined, it will be found 
that they are much better built than the parts immediately adjoin- 
ing. There is a great regularity observable until you come to this 
place, and then you find a totally different arrangement; and in this way 
we may define three distinct periods in the masonry of the side-aisle 
walls, and we ascertain three periods also in the nave. In some parts, 
for instance, it appears on examination that the capitals are less finished 
than in others : the general style of the mouldings is the same ; but 
there is a certain distinction visible, showing that although probably 
there was no very great interruption in the work, yet that it must have 
been completed progressively, and the various portions performed with 
some intervals of time between each. 

" By many this structure would be designated as an Early English 
Cathedral ; but if our Early English Cathedrals, such as Lincoln, Ely, 
and Salisbury, are examined carefully, there will appear a resemblance 
between them, showing that they resulted from one school of Art, and 
from one school of masons, who worked together and understood only 
one system. They could only design in one style, as to the capitals and 
the mode in which the mouldings fell on them, and in short the entire 
disposition of details, and the general proportions of the place. If a 
person well acquainted with these examples visits Wells Cathedral, lie 
will at once see that the work was wholly done by a different class of 
builders. "Wells Cathedral certainly must have been commenced five or 
ten years after Lincoln, which was begun at the latter end of the twelfth 
century. Wells evidently is only a little removed from the early Norman 
style ; it is only an improved Norman design, worked with considerable 
ornament — the mouldings in particular were of an especial richness. The 
Early English style of architecture originally (in all probability) came 
from the French, and there must have been in this district a school of 



masons who continued working with their own companions, in their 
own style, long after the Early English style was introduced and prac- 
tised in this country. When we examine the front of the Cathedral we 
find that it is of the ordinary style of Early English, the same in mould- 
ings and composition as at Salisbury and Ely, from which I infer that 
before the building was completed, in all probability the original archi- 
tect and his pupils were dead, and disciples of the school of Early English 
architecture had come in their place, and erected the west front. This is 
a very curious fact in the history of mediaeval architecture, inasmuch as 
it disturbs the notion which many entertain, that changes in style were 
simultaneous. It is by no means unnatural that, in a district abounding 
with stone, a style peculiar to the locality should spring up amongst 
masons who were always at work together. Thus a Continental origin 
or influence may be traced in the works of different Cathedrals ; but the 
features here noticed appear to have originated from a totally different 
cause, and probably from the local advantage — the district affording good 
stone in profusion. This may account also for the magnificent style of 
the sculptures, which throughout are of excellent character. The tower 
is, for the most part, of Early English architecture, and it rises just above 
the level of the roof. On the outside may be traced the Early English 
work as high as the level of the roof, and there, in all probability, the 
tower of the first building terminated, as nothing more was then wanted 
than a sufficient tower to receive the different roofs, since it will be found 
that they all abutted on the central tower. It may be noticed also that 
a higher central tower was not necessary for the different services, and 
in all probability it was left to be built by those who might subsequently 
be desirous to contribute towards the good work. It has generally been 
supposed that Bishop Jocelyn built all this church ; but this is probably 
an erroneous impression. Certain parts of this -Cathedral must have 
been completed during the Early English period ; and it has been sup- 
posed that the corresponding tower had been built by a Bishop who lived 
at that time ; but there is no sufficient ground for the conclusion. No 
doubt, at different periods, Bishop Jocelyn succeeded in obtaining from 
the Chapter and the Canons of the Church powers to improve and re- 
store the Cathedral, and there is much reason to suppose that the 
Canons themselves supplied a large portion of the funds for carrying on 
the work. I have succeeded in discovering in the records of the Chapter 
a series of entries, from time to time, showing that the Canons of the 
Church taxed themselves voluntarily to the extent of a tithe of their 
income for five years at a time, whenever any new work was required to 
be done at the Cathedral. More than that, I find entries showing that 
the clergy of the Archdeaconry of Taunton voluntarily taxed themselves 
and sent money for carrying on the works of the church. It appears 
from the documents to which I have had access, that the clergy of the 

c2 



XXV111 

Archdeaconry of Taunton transmitted to the Dean and Chapter a tenth 
or a fifth of their income, and the Dean acknowledged these sums in their 
books, in order, as he said, that he might show to the world how generous 
these men were, in order also that it might not be taken as a precedent 
for any demand in after times, and that they might not be hereafter 
subjected to a tax, in consequence of that which had been purely a 
voluntary gift. It was owing to the great works which were carried on 
from time to time that these extraordinary supplies were required. The 
first thing to be noticed is under date 1286, when a chapter was called 
together, and there was laid before them the urgent necessity which 
appeared from the state of the church, not only that the new structure, 
which had been a long' time begun, should be finished, but that the 
whole fabric might be repaired and sustained, and such new con- 
structions as were requisite be carried out. In 1286, however, com- 
paring the probable date of the building which I suppose to be called 
the new structure, it can only be the chapter-house ; and the lower 
part of it, commonly called the crypt, was, as I conclude, then com- 
pleted. Generally speaking, this crypt is below the church ; but at 
this Cathedral it is on a level with the floor of the church. Here was 
a great sink, in which they used to carry off all the water employed for 
washing the church ; probably there was also a well in that crypt. The 
structure of the chapter-house consists of two parts, and it is quite 
evident that the crypt was separated from the upper part by a very con- 
siderable interval. I conceive, therefore, that in 1286 the portion of the 
chapter-house called the crypt was completed. We find also orders for 
certain repairs which I imagine must have been connected with the 
church itself. The next entry to be cited is in 1318, when the Canons 
voluntarily taxed themselves to the extent of a tenth or a fifth part of 
their income, for the new campanile or central tower. They were then 
proposing to erect this central tower, and in 1321 it was successfully 
finished. It deserves remark, as will be seen on careful examination of 
the central tower, that the crockets of the great turrets are not in the 
Decorated style. 

" In 1337 and 1338 convocations were called in great dismay on account 
of some imminent emergencies, stated to be that a settlement was ap- 
parent in the work of the tower, and fractures or cracks were in progress; 
a disaster not uncommon with the mediaeval masons, for notwithstand- 
ing all that has been said of them, they were unskilful unscientific 
persons, who went on packing their buildings mass upon mass ; and 
when the edifice began to settle, they had recourse to all sorts of means 
and expedients to uphold it and set it on its legs again. If we ex- 
amine carefully we shall see that this Cathedral evidently began to 
settle in the same way ; for there are all the symptoms of the means by 
which the different towers were strengthened. These towers were 



XXIX 

evidently propped after they were carried up, and they are not, as 
many have said, admirable specimens of foresight. In this case it is 
quite evident from actual appearances, independent of the entries men- 
tioned in the Liber albus, that this tower had sunk into the earth to a 
greater degree, probably, than was common, on account of the pressure 
of the arches ; for it appears, on inspection, that the rents took place 
from the crowns of the arches ; the damage proceeded distinctly from 
the apex of the arch, and disturbed with it all the masonry standing upon 
the arch. It is also found that these arches have been patched up, and 
the masonry with which they are filled in is of the same character as the 
masonry of the Early English period. A double arch was put in, which 
blocked them up, and then large blocks of stone were inserted ; the 
character of the masonry is here of the most perfect kind, and no doubt 
after these stones were put in, no further disturbance took place in the 
tower. Besides all this, at the bottom of this tower there is a portion 
filled up, which I do not remember to have seen in any other tower. 
This tower has square turrets, and is divided into three great compart- 
ments, and each compartment is again divided from top to bottom. 
When we examine the masonry, from the way in which these parts are 
inserted it is quite evident that they were put in after the tower began 
to settle. From bottom to top the central wall runs continuously, and all 
the rent marks are on the base of these points ; they are not in any way 
attached to the masonry of the other parts ; they must therefore have 
been primed in afterwards. When the tower began to give way, the 
builders found that it was faulty in its structure, and they used the best 
means which could be devised to sustain it. They had certainly not im- 
proved the tower, although they had given it a character of solidity. 
Again, when we examine the inside, we find piers corresponding with 
the mullions which have been introduced in a square form, of a peculiar 
kind, in some manner to sustain that part of the work. The evidence 
I have shown from the documents agrees exactly with this evidence, 
supplied by the fabric itself. 

" Our attention may now be directed to another part cf the building. 
The central towers have always been known to be the weak points of a 
cathedral, and therefore it is that settlements are so frequently there 
found. It is not surprising therefore, that we should find them bolstered 
up in such a manner as is here seen. The next portion to be investi- 
gated is the Lady Chapel, and here we have great difficulty in ascertain- 
ing the date correctly ; but I have fortunately found an incidental 
mention of the work, in the documents already alluded to, which sup- 
plies some valuable information on this point. It is a licence from 
Bishop Tokenfield, dated in 1326, and* assigning to one of the Canon's 
residentiary a piece of his own garden. In describing the portion thus 
granted, it is stated, that it was about 200 or 300 feet from the east end 



XXX 

of St. Mary's Chapel, lately constructed ; there is, therefore, no doubt 
that the Lady Chapel was finished a few years before 1326. In the 
description of this piece of garden, there is a special provision that a 
certain medlar-tree should be most carefully preserved, so that it would 
thus appear that medlar-trees at that period were exceedingly valued 
and rare. Again, in 1325, the Canons commenced the construction of 
new stalls, the old ones being ruinous : they sent to Middleton for the 
requisite timber, and it should be stated that an order was made, that 
every Canon should pay for his own stall out of his own resources, a 
very good precedent ; whether the Bishop, however, engaged to con- 
struct the episcopal throne does not appear. This fact is interesting, 
as it shows how the funds were raised in mediaeval times for such 
objects. The construction of the new stall-work leads to the inference 
that the choir was so far advanced that the Canons might be seated in 
it, and that in 1325 the choir was nearly finished. This appears to esta- 
blish a date for that portion. This part is of rich Decorated work, and 
well deserves a very careful study. It is well known that Bishop Hare- 
well supplied two-thirds of the expense of the South-western Tower, 
which is carried up in the Perpendicular style ; and Bishop Burbidge, 
about a century afterwards, finished the JSTorth-western Tower. Bishop 
Beckington, who presided in the interval between those two prelates, 
is well known, by the works of Leland and William of "Wyrcestre, as 
the son of a weaver ; he was not only a magnificent architect, but a very 
generous contributor to the fabric. He repaired the Vicar's Close, and 
made the West cloister of the church; he also constructed a certain gate 
at the Close, and he made a great building for the Canons, which cannot 
now be identified. He made a gate, and a kind of bridge or covered way 
also, by which the vicars had access to their college. He built also a 
row of houses in the Market-place ; and he had intended to erect an- 
other row to match them. These houses have lost much of their 
mediseval character. 

" It has not been ascertained by whom the Palace was built. It has 
been ascribed to Bishop Jocelyn ; and it is said that he also built the 
Chapel, but this is of a later style than his time. No doubt Bishop 
Bernall, who lived in the 13th century, built the Hall, which is un- 
fortunately in ruins, but the remains show that it must have been a 
fine example. In 1330, Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury added to the 
Palace, and renovated it, and also converted it into a castle. The 
Deanery House, which is a beautiful specimen of domestic architecture, 
if not built, was enlarged by John Ganthorpe, in 1472. The Vicar's 
Close appears to have been first constructed by Bishop Balph of Shrews- 
bury, in 1330 ; but the houses for the Canons were built by Bishop 
Beckington. There was another college erected on a place called Mount 
Roy, for the use of the chantry or secular priests." 



XXXI 

The Professor observed, in conclusion, that he could not refrain from 
expressing his desire that some member of the chapter, who had free 
access to the documentary evidences, which he had on the present 
occasion been permitted to examine, might be induced to institute a 
more strict investigation than had been compatible with the time he had 
himself been enabled to devote to the inquiry. He felt convinced from 
the information he had thence been enabled to derive, that the chapter 
muniments would throw a new and important light upon the archi- 
tectural history of the Cathedral, and tend not less to illustrate the 
general working and influence of ecclesiastical establishments in this 
country. 

After a handsome cold collation at the Deanery, the visitors and mem- 
bers proceeded to a detailed examination of the Cathedral, the Palace, 
and the adjacent buildings, with the advantages of the Professor's guid- 
ance and explanation ; and finally took their departure towards Bristol, 
across the Mendip range ; and it was nearly midnight before all the 
travellers had safely returned to their destination. 

Thursday, July 31. — The earlier part of this day was appropriated to 
the meetings of Sections. 

At ten o'clock, the Historical Section assembled at the Theatre of the 
Institution. The chair having been taken by the President, Henry 
Hallam, Esq., he observed, in opening the proceedings, that in regard to 
the subjects usually brought before that division, it had not been cus- 
tomary, nor was it perhaps important, to prescribe any strict line. So 
far as it could be drawn, he considered it most advisable to enjoin that 
all communications founded principally upon books or written docu- 
ments should fall within the department of history, whilst those directly 
relating to material objects should be brought under the head of anti- 
quities. The practice of the Institute on these occasions had been to 
give a preference to subjects of local interest and importance, but it 
should be understood that this was by no means considered as an inva- 
riable rule ; and he particularly mentioned this, anticipating that very 
morning an important communication from an eminent Archaeologist, 
who had honoured their meeting at Bristol with his attendance ; he 
alluded to the Chevalier Bunsen, who had prepared a discourse on a 
subject wholly unconnected with the scenes and historical recollections 
by which they were actually surrounded. 

The Be v. James Lee Warneb communicated a memoir on the first 
octavo edition of Tyndale's New Testament, of which the most perfect 
copy known to him existed in the library of the Baptists' College, at 
Bristol. (The memoir will be found in this Yolume.) 

His Excellency the Chevalier Bunsen then delivered a most inter- 
esting dissertation upon the Lake Moeris, demonstrating its artificial 



XXX11 

character, and the intention with which it had been formed, for purposes 
of artificial irrigation. Ancient writers as well as modern had been at 
variance on this question. The lake is noticed both by Herodotus and 
Strabo ; but one describes it as a natural lake, whilst the other attri- 
buted it to human industry. The Chevalier entered into a curious 
argument to show when this vast work was constructed. He believed 
it to have been the work of Mceris, successor of Sesostris, who was the 
Pharaoh by whom Jacob and the Israelites were settled in Goshen. 

At the close of the discussion which ensued, a meeting of the Section 
of Antiquities commenced, Lord Talbot de Malahide presiding, who 
opened the proceedings with observations on the flint weapons of the 
early Irish people, of which many rare and well characterised examples 
might be seen at the Temporary Museum. He called attention, espe- 
cially, to the singular knife of silex, which he had brought for the 
inspection of the Society, having by way of haft some of the fibrous 
bog-moss wrapped around it, so as to be commodiously grasped by the 
hand. 

Peoeessoe Bttckman, F.G.S., of the Eoyal Agricultural College, 
Cirencester, gave a dissertation on the chemical composition of some 
■ ancient British and Roman beads of glass, with the view of distinguish- 
ing those of different periods. He produced numerous specimens found 
at Cirencester and other places, and gave some notices of recent disco- 
veries of Roman remains at Corinium, such as coins, relics of bronze, 
pottery, &c. 

The Architectural Section assembled, by the kind permission of the 
Dean and Chapter, in the Chapter House. J. H. Markland, Esq., Pre- 
sident of the Section, opened the proceedings with an address, which is 
given in the present volume (see page ). 

A memoir by Mr. Britton, entitled "Remarks on the Topography and 
Archseology of Bristol and its Vicinity," was read by Mr. Godwin. 

At the close of this communication, the Rev. T. M. Traherne made 
some observations on the Castle of Caldecott, in Monmouthshire, refer- 
ring to an account of it given by Mr. Freeman, in a late number of the 
Archseologia Cambrensis. 

Mr. Feeeman said, that the building referred to was indeed one of the 
most beautiful specimens of castellated architecture he knew, the ex* 
cellence of the masonry and detail, chiefly of the Decorated era, fully 
equalling the best ecclesiastical work. He had unfortunately not been 
able to devote so much time to it as he could have wished, but he should 
most strongly recommend an examination of it to all who had an oppor- 
tunity ; and he thought it very desirable that it should, if possible, be 
included in the proposed expedition to Caerleon. "With more immediate 
reference to Mr. Britton's paper, Mr. Freeman stated that he should be 
much obliged to any one who could favour him with any authentic in- 



formation with regard to the dates and architects of any of the magni- 
ficent towers of Bristol and Somersetshire, some references to which had 
been made in the course of Mr. Britton's paper. He was then engaged 
in an examination of them, but had been able to obtain historical 
information only in a very few cases. The finest examples of the 
Somersetshire towers formed * two classes. The first includes those in 
which the tower consisted of unconnected stages piled one upon another, 
any one of which might be conceived as removed, and in which the 
pinnacles have frequently very little connection with the composition 
below. Of this Taunton is well known as one of the finest specimens. 
In the other class the whole upper part of the tower was in fact one 
vast stage, one uninterrupted mass of panelling, and the pinnacles 
generally form a continuation of angular turrets or pilasters ; as at 
"Wrington, Glastonbury, and that splendid church of St. Cuthbert at 
"Wells, which Mr. Freeman trusted that no one who had made the 
previous day's excursion had omitted to visit. Those in the city of 
Bristol formed one general class with those of Somersetshire ; but the 
best specimens in the city, many indeed also in the neighbourhood, 
had their own distinctive peculiarities, especially in the great predo- 
minance given to the staircase turret, which in the second class does 
not exist at all, and in the first is of no great consequence. The finest 
of this sort is St. Stephen's, which however has a further character quite 
peculiar to itself, especially the extremely slight projection of the 
buttresses, seeming almost like a Gothic translation of the old Italian 
campanile. 

Mr. John ^Norton gave a notice of the proposed restoration of the 
Bristol High Cross ; and he exhibited a model, illustrative of the 
arrangements actually in progress for the erection of the cross at the 
eastern extremity of the College Green. 

At two o'clock the Sections dispersed, the annual service at St. Mary, 
Bedcliffe, having been fixed for that hour, commemorating the establish- 
ment of the Canynges Society, instituted for carrying out the restora- 
tions of that church. On this occasion, the sermon was preached by the 
Very Eev. the Dean of Bristol. At the conclusion of the service, a 
memoir on the history and architectural features of the fabric was read 
by George Godwin, Esq., P.E.S., the architect engaged in the restora- 
tion ; and he accompanied the visitors in an examination of the struc- 
ture, pointing out the progress of the repairs hitherto carried out in a 
most satisfactory manner, and the extensive works of renewal still neces- 
sary, should the requisite funds be supplied. 

* See History of Architecture, p. 38G. before the Somersetshire Archaeological 
The author has since worked out this Society, 
subject more at length, in a paper read 



XXXIV 

Of the interesting observations delivered by Mr. Godwin on this 
occasion, he has kindly supplied the following abstract : — 

AN ACCOUNT OF THE CHTJECH OF ST. MAEY, 
EEDCLIFFE, BEISTOL. 

I regret very much that continued occupations of anabsorbing character 
have prevented me from investigating the early history of this time- 
honoured monument, St. Mary's Church, Eedcliffe, as it deserves. 
Piety, science, art, literature, and mystery have jointly and severally put 
their mark on this structure, and have made it an object of interest to 
so many classes of minds, that there are few buildings in the country 
which have so wide a fame. Founded, completed, and re-edified by 
Bristol merchants, the Christian (even if careless of material beauty) 
may view it as a noble monument of the stintless devotion of men in 
early times, — of men who thought not of the " nicely calculated less or 
more/' and considered no expenditure short of the utmost of their power 
sufficient offering in the cause of God, — a spirit, I may say in passing, 
which is not extinct in our day. The antiquary, the architect, and the 
man of taste find in it an exhibition of skill and inventive power of the 
highest character, producing, as a result, extraordinary beauty : it is, to 
them, too, the autograph of a past time, speaking loudly and not unin- 
structively to the present. Further, there are models for the draughts- 
man, an involved history to exercise the ingenuity of the investigator, 
and a peculiarity in the arrangement of the work of different periods at 
the We*st End, which increase the difficulty of the disentanglement. 
Then for the poet, the student of mind in all its strange and startling 
phases, the biographer, and the lover of romance, its connection with the 
" wondrous boy who perished in his pride," — the unhappy Chatterton, 
who, wanting so little, lost so much — a pure renown, — has made it a 
shrine demanding a pilgrimage. 

The accessible materials for tracing the history of the church are 
scanty, but might doubtless be now increased by a diligent investigator. 
I must here remind you that Mr. Britton has brought together a variety 
of scattered notices in his interesting published " Account of Eedcliffe 
Church." 

Eedcliffe appears to have been wholly distinct from Bristol till the 
bridge was built, and special charters were given to the men of Eedcliffe, — 
one, for example, from Henry III. in 1247.* 

Grants for the erectiou of a church here as early as 1207 are men- 
tioned by Barrett in " The History and Antiquities of the City of 
Bristol." Others are dated 1229, 1232, &c. There is an indulgence 
excusing ten days' penance to all who contributed to the repair of St. 

* The men of Redcliffe are still u clannish." 



XXXV 

Mary's, Bedcliffe, dated 1246. Going on, chronicles mention that a 
church was built here by Sir Simon de Burton and others, about 1294 : 
he was mayor of Bristol six times between 1291 and 1304. 
I In 1376, the first William Canynges, according to Barrett, built the 
body of Eedcliffe Church " from the cross-aisle downwards." In 1380 
the work was still going on. This William Canynges was mayor six 
times : his will is dated 1396. 

The spire was thrown down by lightning in 1445-6, and did great 
harm to the church ; but the damaged parts were restored by the second 
William Canynges, aided by other inhabitants of the district. 

Doubts have been expressed as to the extent to which Burton and the 
first Canynges personally contributed ; but there seems to be no question • 
about the fact, that to the second William Canynges, whose " worthy 
deeds declare a worthy wight," the church was greatly indebted : so 
much so, that he is popularly, though erroneously known as the founder. 
He was the grandson of the first-named Canynges, was born about 1400, 
was mayor five times, and died 1475. William Wyrcestre calls him " the 
richest and the wisest merchant" (ditissimus et sapientissimus mercator). 
George Canning, the statesman, was one of his descendants. Dallaway, 
who has given a sketch of William Canynges' life, describes the residence 
that he built for himself in Small-street. After the death of his wife, in 
1460, he determined on dedicating himself to the Church; and ulti- 
mately became dean of the College of Westbury. He died in 1474 or 
1475 ; and by his will he left his residuary property in trust for public 
works in the city of Bristol. 

And now let us see what we find left of the various structures which 
have occupied the site. The church consists of an outer and inner north 
porch, a tower, nave with aisles, south porch, transepts with aisles (a 
rare occurrence), residences, and Lady Chapel. 

The inner north porch and lower part of the tower are Early English 
in style, and might be earlier than Simon de Burton : they certainly are 
not later. The north porch and the upper part of tower are of the De- 
corated period, and may have been part of Burton's church. The south 
transept, the south porch, and much of the interior, are very little later, 
and may be attributed to the first William Canynges. The remainder 
of the church is Perpendicular, and belongs to the time of the second 
William Canynges. It should be noticed that the groined vaulting of the 
south aisle of the nave is inferior in character, and more recent in date 
than the vaulting of other parts of the church. If we knew this to be 
part of the reinstatements made by the second Canynges after the fall 
of the spire, the inference would be that he built less of the structure 
than has been supposed. 

We found corroborative evidence of the existence of a church of the 
same date as the inner porch (Early English), in taking down the cleres- 



XXXVI 

tor j of the chancel (or " Overstorye," as William of Wyrcestre calls it) ; 
some of the old stonework being worked up in the walls. The external 
wall of the south aisle of the nave may be part of this early church. The 
attached half-pillars which received the groining in a make-shift way, 
differ from all the others. 

"William of Wyrcestre, already quoted, called also William Bottoner 
(his mother's maiden name), and who lived in the fifteenth century, has 
left in his " Itinerarium, or Book of Memorable Things," many curious 
memoranda and details respecting St. Mary's, Bedcliffe ; but it will be 
unnecessary for me on this occasion to do more than refer to a few of 
them. Bottoner was born (according to Dallaway) in 1415, and died 
about 1484, so that he was contemporary with the second William 
Canynges. 

The "Itinerary" is written in a very desultory manner, in bad Latin, 
with a curious mixture of the vernacular ; and the dimensions are given 
in " steps," &c, not very precisely. Still it is not without value. We 
learn from him that Norton was master of the works there (" mayistri 
operum") at the time he wrote, — perhaps the architect. He takes one 
of his dimensions from the house of the workers in freestone, "pro 
fundacione ecclesice de Radclyff" and speaks of the residence for the 
chantry priests erected in the churchyard by Canynges. We learn from 
him that there was a fair cross in the middle of the churchyard,* and 
the detailed description he has left of the mouldings in the western 
door (from the description of Norton), the "freemason work" as he 
calls it, has served Professor Willis as the basis of his work on the 
"Architectural Nomenclature of the Middle Ages." 

Camden, in his " Britannia," speaking of the growth of the city, 
and that there were hospitals built for the poor, and " neat churches 
for the glory of Grod," says, — "Amongst the rest the most beautiful 
is St. Mary's of Badcliff without the walls, into which is a stately 
ascent by a great many stairs. So large is it, the workmanship so ex- 
quisite, and the roof so artificially vaulted with stone, and the tower so 
high, that in my opinion it goes much beyond all the parish churches 
in England I have yet seen. In it the founder,t William Canninges, 
has two honorary monuments : the one is his image in the habit of a 
magistrate, for he was five times mayor of this city ; the other an image 
of the same person in clergyman's habit, for in his latter days he took 
orders, and was dean of the college which himself founded at West- 
bury." % This second monument, I may mention, was originally at 
Westbury, but when that building was destroyed in 1643, the monu- 
ment was removed to Bedcliffe. 

* " Crux pulcherrima artifieione operata est in medio dicti ciniiterii." 
t This term is erroneous, as we have seen. 
X Gibson's edition, 1695. 



xxxvn 

The books and papers belonging to the church, of which there are 
many, are for the most part in a good state, and would doubtless afford 
some interesting particulars, if properly examined. In the course of a 
very hasty inspection, I observed a deed as to the lands for the endow- 
ment of Canynges' Chantries of St. Catherine and St. George, dated 
1468. These lands were sold at the Dissolution by the commissioners 
of King Henry VIII. 

A chantry was an endowment to provide for the chanting of masses for 
the souls of the testators or others. The bequest usually directed the 
erection of a chapel, in which the service was to be performed, and the 
term has come to be applied to the building. Many of our cathedrals 
and minsters contain specimens of these chantry chapels. 

The most interesting document that I saw in the vestry was the 
inventory of the furniture for the " Easter Sepulchre," given to the 
church by Canynges. As all know, it was the practice before the 
Reformation to set up in the churches, on the north side of the 
chancel, near the altar, a representation of the Entombment of Christ. 
A recess for the purpose, sometimes ornamented with sculptured deco- 
rations, may be seen in many of our churches. The crucifix was placed 
in the sepulchre on Good Friday, and watched till Easter Day, when it 
was taken out. The document in question, which has been several times 
printed, but not correctly, is as follows : — 

" Me d . That Mayster Canynges hath delyrded the iiij day of Jule, in 
the yere of our Lorde 1470, to Maist' Nicholas Pyttes, Vicar of Eedclif, 
Moyses Conteryn, Phelip Bertheinew, and John Browne, procurators 
of St. Mary Bedclif byforesaid, a new sepulcre well gilte with fyne golde, 
and cever thereto. 

" Item an ymage of God Almyghty risyng oute of the same sepulcre, 
with all the ordynance that 'longeth thereto, that is to say, a lath made 
of tyrnb 1 " and the yron worke thereto, &c. 

" Item thereto 'longeth Hevyn, made of tymb r and steyned clothes. 

" Item, Hell made of tymb r and yron worke, with devells the number 
of xiij. 

" Item iiij knyghtes armed kepynge the sepulcre with their wepyns in 
their honds, that is to sey, ij speres with ij pavyes. 

" Item iiij peyr of angels' whynges for iiij angels made of tymb r and 
well peynted. 

" Item the ffader the crowne and visage the ball with a crosse upon, 
well gilte with fyne golde. 

" Item the Holy Goste comyng out of Hevyn into the sepulcre. 

"Item longyng to iiij angells iiij chevelers." 

" The Booke of the Accompte," dated 1548 to 1580, was the earliest 
I saw. from that date the series seems complete. 



XXXV1U 

In the first year of Mary there is a payment to the ringers at the 
proclamation of the " Quene ;" also entry of the sum paid for a " masse 
booke." In the first year of Elizabeth mass and processions were still 
going on, and there are payments for the bearing of the cross, for large 
candles, and frankincense ; but in the second year of her reign we find 
payments for taking out the image and for painting Scripture in its 
place, also for taking down the high altar. 

There is an agreement dated in the reign of Charles I. (1636) made 
with a carpenter for a new loft and frame for the bells. There is also a 
a bond, dated 1768, from Thomas Bilbie for casting four bells. 

The iron gates in the church are excellent pieces of workmanship ; 
some of these were made by William Edney, smith. In the books I find 
a payment to him, in the year 1710, of 601. for iron gates to chancel ; 
and another of 501. for two pair of gates at side of chancel, and two pair 
of hatches into middle chancel. 

In this year, by the way, bricks in Bristol were 16s. per thousand ; 
free-stone lid. per cubic foot. 

In the previous year, 1709, considerable repairs were made ; the 
authorities buying the materials and employing their own workmen.* 
The church was pewed in this year at the cost, according to Barrett, of 
784J. 135. 

Continuing our brief examination of the accounts, I may mention 
that two windows on the south side, namely, the second from the west 
end, and the third " from the churchyard in the cross isle, and fronting 
towards the west," were restored by W. Harrison, mason, in 1792, at 
the cost of 147£. 7s., James Allen being the architect employed. 

In going round the interior you will notice especially the beauty and 
variety of the vaultings ; the wonderful play of light and shade, and the 
effect of extent given by the plan ; the beauty of the arches and their 
mouldings ; the loftiness of the columns ; and I think you will all express 
an anxious wish that the present cumbrous and obscuring pews and 
fittings may speedily be removed ; and that this noble church may be 
seated in a manner consistent with the style of the building, and calcu- 
lated to display to advantage its beautiful proportions. The organ, too, 
should take a different shape. The doorway to the residence attached 
to the chancel aisle, the window at the end of each transept, and the 
carved bosses in the groinings, all demand examination. Of these latter, 
there are in the church no less than 1117, displaying wonderful variety 
in design, and most beautiful drawing. 

Tou will notice both on Canynges' monument and in the stained 
glass (of which there are many interesting remnants) Canynges' mark.f 

* The weekly expenses are recorded. chitecture," quotes an ancient system of 

t Hunt, in " Exemplars of Tudor Ar- heraldry in the British Museum, which 



XXXIX 

[A further description of the interior, some mention of the monu- 
ments, which are very various, and various comments, we are forced to 
omit.] 

The whole length of the church and Lady Chapel inside I find to be 
239 feet, and the width 52 feet. The transept, from north to south, is 
117 feet 6 inches, and the width 47 feet. The chancel and aisles form 
nearly a square. The length of the nave up to the organ gallery is the 
same as that of the chancel, namely, 60 feet. The height of the chancel, 
from pavement to crown of vaulting, is 53 feet. 

The inside of the north porch, a hexagon in plan, presents many 
peculiarities, and much to admire. The bosses of the vaulted roof are 
all of foliage of very elegant design, and were orignially, like the vault- 
ings of the rest of the church, painted and gilded. Midway up the 
walls there is a passage all round the porch in the thickness of the 
walls, and some curiously carved corbels will be noticed there. In one 
of these, two men reclining are each holding up a leg to form the sup- 
port. You will notice, too, the beautiful carving of the ornaments in the 
cornice of the arcade, — busts, and animals, and men amongst foliage : 
in one a goat and boy ; in another a man and monkey ; and in a third a 
cripple, with a cat, and a dog barking at it. In the spandrils of the 
west door inside, there are four singularly interesting figures : two of 
them seem to be intended to represent Samson in his adventure with 
the lion. 

The form of the windows is very peculiar, produced by the series of 
niches outside. How the spaces beneath them were originally decorated 
internally is a question. 

In the south-western side of the hexagon is a small apartment formed 
in the thickness of the wall, which may have been a penitential cell, or 
a place for the exposition of relics. The door was originally in the 
centre, and there was a grated opening on each side. In the inner 
porch, and near the last-mentioned recess, there is another small apart- 
ment. The north face of the outer porch is occupied by the principal 
doorway, a singularly elegant and peculiar design. In the south-east 
face there is a second doorway, and, strange to say, in the north-west 
face (opposite to the last) there was originally a third doorway (now 
blocked up) beautifully ornamented externally. 

The reason for this singular arrangement is a matter for discussion. 
"William Wyrcestre calls this porch the chapel of the blessed Mary, and 
describes the outside in his mixed language as being adorned with statues 
of kings curiously made in free-stone work : — " Cum ymaginibus regum 
operatis subtiliter in opere de frestone." In this chapel there was for- 

says as to a shield of this sort, — <e Theys but not armys without an herawde or pur 
be none armys, but a marke as marchaunts cyvaunte." 
use, for every mane may take hyme a marke, 



xl 

merly an " Image of our Lady decorated with a fyne cloth with frynge 
to cover her."* 

The sculpture on the outside of the porch is executed with great skill : 
the spirit and vigour in the figures forming the upper range of corbels 
are especially noticeable. In the lower range figures of men or beasts 
alternate with foliage. 

The external decoration of the north door is both singular and beau- 
tiful. It is cuspidated, "fretted in the hede " as William of Wyrcestre 
says of the west door, and the carved enrichments of the head follow a 
similar line. In the principal member around the doorway entwining 
stems form a series of diamond-shaped compartments, which originally 
contained foliage and a figure, alternately.f 

It affords an example of the peculiarity in G-othic architecture that 
whatever decoration may be overlaid, the geometric form of the moulding 
is observable. 

The Inner Porch is a very elegant specimen of Early English G-othic : 
you will especially notice the crisply curling leaves of the capitals of the 
Purbeok marble shafts in the arcade which surrounds the walls. This 
crisp foliage, rising with stiff stems from the neck-moulding, is an un- 
mistakeable characteristic of the style. In the Decorated, which suc- 
ceeded it, the foliage is usually carried round the bell, more wreathlike, 
and exhibits a closer imitation of nature and much greater freedom. 

The vaulting of the Inner Porch, too, is much simpler. This porch 
was the external entrance to the church, and the doorway presented a 
rich cluster of shafts and arch mouldings. "When the new porch was 
joined on to it, these were cut away very ruthlessly, in order to admit of 
the introduction of a canopied niche on each side at the junction, — 
showing very little concern on the part of the architect of the new porch 
for the works of his predecessors. We found pieces of the columns that 
were removed worked up in the walls of the outer porch. 

There is an apartment over each porch, and both are remarkable ; one, 
— namely, that over the earlier structure, — for its arrangement, having 
a fire-place and necessarium, or place for the discharge of refuse ; and the 
second as being the depository of the old chests from which Chatterton 
took, as he asserted, the writings which led to so much controversy, and 
made his name world-famous. That he did find some here, though he 
forged others, I have not the slightest doubt. 

Porches in all styles of Pointed architecture have, not unusually, a 
room over them: that over the inner porch, at St. Mary's, Eedclifte, 
having a fireplace, may have been intended for the residence of an an- 
chorite, or the Sacristan. A room in this position is sometimes called 

* Quoted by Barrett. foliage ; over the east door two men, pro- 

+ Over the west doorway in the porch bably typifying hunting and hawking — 
there are a boy and goat amongst the one has a bird, the other an animal. 



xli 

A Parvise, but the designation would seem to be erroneous. The " Pa- 
radise," or Parvise, is the name that was of old time applied to an open 
space or court next a church. 

In "A Description of the Form, and Manner how, and by what 
Orders or Customs, the State of the Fellowship of the Middle Temple is 
maintained," written in the time of King Henry Till., reference is 
made to the Temple Church, London, as having during term time " no 
more quietnesse than t\e pervyse of Paul's." 

At Chichester, the area enclosed by the cloisters is still called " Para- 
dise ;" and on the houses which surround the open area about the church 
of Xotre Dame, in Paris, is written up Le Parvis. 

The room over the north porch of Hawkkurst Church, Kent, was an- 
ciently called "The Treasury,"* and still contains, in a chest, old 
writings. The same name, according to Barrett, was given to the room 
over the outer porch at Eedcliffe : he quotes a deed of Canynges, which 
describes a chest as being " in domo thesauraria Ecclesics Beatce Marice 
de Redeliver 

I shall be pardoned, I hope, if I digress for a few minutes to remind 
you of the extraordinary boy whose memory is inseparably connected 
with this muniment-room, of whom even Walpole, in a letter to the 
editor of " Chatterton's Miscellanies," in reply to an insinuation that he 
was the cause of the poet's distress and consequent death, says : — "I do 
not believe that there ever existed so masterly a genius, except that of 
Psalmanaazar, who, before twenty -two, could create a language that all 
the learned of Europe, though they suspected, could not detect." The 
literary imposition that Chatterton successfully attempted is well known; 
the high poetic feeling and the powers of imagination shown in the com- 
positions themselves are less so. They cannot be read now without 
regret, apart from the feeling which arises against violation of truth, that 
he should have wasted ingenuity and industry to lock them up in an 
obscure and obsolete phraseology. In a state of extreme destitution, as 
you will remember, he unhappily destroyed himself before he was 
eighteen, and was interred in the burial-ground of Shoe-lane Workhouse, 
now the site of Farringdon-market, Holborn. In the register of burials 
in the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, under the date August 28, 1770, 
I found this entry : — " William Chatterton, Brooks-street ;" — to which 
has been added at another time " The Poet :" — correctly, notwithstand- 
ing that his Christian name was Thomas, not "William ; but such mis- 
takes in registers were more common then than now. 

Some time ago a monument in commemoration of Chatterton was 
raised by public subscription, in the angle formed by the north porch 
and the tower of St. Mary's, Eedcliffe. In consequence of the works 
now going on, it was taken down, and is at present in the crypt of the 

* Oxford Glossary. 

d 



xlii 

church. The committee will doubtless re-erect it where it may be seen 
to greater advantage than it was there. 

Amongst the church papers to which I have alluded, is the humble 
petition to the vestry of St. Mary's, Redcliffe, of "William Chatterton, 
setting forth that he was then a ticket-porter at the Tolzey, and praying 
to be appointed sexton in the place of his brother-in-law. It sets forth 
that John Chatterton, his father, was sexton there for thirty years. 
This is dated January 22, 1772, seventeen months after the untimely 
death of the poet, and serves to give an idea of the condition of the 
family. 

Returning to the building, — the church is founded on the living rock, 
the colour of which gives its name to the locality ; and this rock shelving 
greatly from south to north, the floor of the church is at a considerable 
height from the ground on the latter side. A crypt is formed here be- 
neath the north transept and the priest's residence ; and there is a 
vaulted passage-way from one side of the church to the other, under the 
east end of the Lady Chapel. In going round you will be sure to ob- 
serve the boldness and beauty of the mouldings in this basement. Tou 
will notice, too, the peculiarity of the bulb-shaped covering (scale- 
covered), on the north turret of the Lady Chapel. 

The priest's residence, attached to the north side of the chancel, is 
singularly interesting as an example of ancient domestic architecture. 
The large coarse heads on the turret of this part show a late style 
of art. 

The Tower is exceedingly beautiful, especially the upper part of it. I 
know no building which is more so. The Early English work reaches as 
high as the string of quatrefoils above the series of niches. The base- 
ment may be even earlier than this : at all events, the masonry is of a 
ruder description. Above the quatrefoils, the whole is of the Decorated 
period, contemporary with the outer porch, and with its buttresses, tur- 
rets, and richly ornamented panelling, is unrivalled. Two of the statues, 
which formerly filled niches in the lower part of the tower, remain, and 
these seem not to have been made for their position. One is a bearded 
male figure ; the other, a female figure, crowned, holding something in 
each hand. 

The portion of the spire which remains is 26 feet 4 inches in diameter 
at the bottom, and 36 feet high. The masonry composing it is 2 feet 3 
inches thick at bottom, and tapers in the height of 19 feet to 8| inches, 
of which thickness it continues to the top. 

Bottoner, after describing the spire, says, " Quidem spira stat modo 
ultra C pedes," — " stands at the present time (1480) above 300 feet." 
Dallaway, in his edition of " The Itinerary,"* says — "Are we to con- 

* Bristol Mirror office, 1834. 



xliii 

elude that the spire, after having been struck by lightning, was still 100 
feet high ?" and suggests that, as it has not such an elevation now, it 
had been written " stetit modo " — " stood once, or not long since." 

I am disposed to think, however, that Bottoner meant to give the 
height it then was, and that this height was greater than it is now, and 
was very probably the 100 feet he speaks of; for, in another place, he 
says, the width of the parapet, or Le Garlond as he calls it, round the 
top of the broken spire, is 11 feet.* Whereas the present diameter of 
the top of the spire is about 20 feet; moreover, if the lines of the spire 
be carried out to the height of 100 feet, the width there will be found to 
be about 11 feet. 

[An account of the labours of the committee, and the progress of the 
restoration, which followed here, together with a verbal description of 
the church, we omit.] 

The present deplorable condition of the building must distress every 
lover of our ancient architecture. Externally it is a crumbling ruin ; 
the parapets falling, the walls splitting, and the spirets on the tower so 
disrupted and decaying as to threaten, at no distant period, some serious 
catastrophe. On the question of " restoration" generally, — none would 
oppose more earnestly than I would the destruction of an ancient edifice, 
with all its associations and time tints, to substitute for it a new copy, 
however well executed, so long as it could be maintained fit for its pur- 
pose. And, indeed, in the case of a sepulchral monument, from which 
nothing is required but as a record, so long as one stone could be kept 
on another, so long would I retain the original memorial, a thousand 
times more interesting and suggestive than any imitation of it could 
possibly be. Most earnestly, therefore, should it be impressed on all 
authorities who have charge of our architectural glories and sepulchral 
memorials of the departed great, to obtain for them such early and con- 
stant attention that they may be long preserved in their original condition. 
The "stitch in time" of the homely proverb applies as forcibly to a 
structure as to a stocking. 

In the case of St. Mary's, Eedcliffe, however, no question of this sort 
arises. If it be not renewed, its character must utterly pass away. 
There is but little of the exterior of the church that can possibly be 
maintained ; and if we would preserve the structure for its sacred pur- 
pose, and transmit to posterity the noble specimen of skill and piety 
which our forefathers gave to us in trust, there is no other course than 
restoration — conducted with a pains-taking and anxious desire to make 
the building what it originally was. 

Chatterton, Dallaway, and others, spoke of the restoration of the north 
porch as a thing not likely to be attempted ; yet we now see that by the 

* Latitudo de la Garlond continet xi. pedes. 

d 2 



xliv 

unlooked-for interference of an earnest individual, studiously concealing 
himself from praise, — one acting up to the opinion that — 
" Who builds a church to God and not to Fame, 
Will never mark the marble with his name " — 

this is now being done.* 

Pride of country, love of beauty, and duty to God, all prompt so 
strongly to the completion of the restoration, that I have no doubt what- 
ever as to the result. Geoege Godwin. 

The annual dinner took place on this day at the Victoria Booms, 
Clifton, and the members of the Canynges Society joined the members 
of the Institute in a joint banquet, the chair being taken by Mr. Har- 
ford, President of both societies. With the customary toasts on these 
occasions, were united several, expressive of interest in the undertaking 
promoted by the Canynges Society. Amongst those distinguished 
guests by whom the company were addressed, may be named the Che- 
valier Bunsen, Lord Talbot, the Bishop of Oxford, the Mayor of Bristol, 
the Master of Trinity College Cambridge, the Principal of Brasenose 
College, the Dean of Bristol, Sir Charles Anderson, bart., Mr. Hallam, 
Mr. Alderman Pountney, Mr. Heywood, M.P., and Mr. Britton. 

Friday, August 1. — The sections resumed their proceedings this 
morning. In the Historical Section, Mr. Hallam presided, and a dis- 
sertation was delivered by Mr. Guest upon " The Saxon Conquest of 
"West Britain," in continuation of his Memoirs communicated at the 
previous annual meetings at Salisbury and Oxford. 

Captain Chapman, R. E., communicated some remarks on names of 
places, supposed to be of Celtic origin, and notices of the ancient popu- 
lation of Bath at various periods, as shown by the Subsidy Rolls, temp. 
Edw. III., the Poll Tax, 2 Eich. II., and the Lists of Citizens elected to 
serve in Parliament from A.D. 1298, with detailed observations upon the 
derivations of the surnames occurring in these documents. 

* The story is a curious one. On the cerity. The committee of course gladly 

22nd of June, 1848, Mr. Thomas Proctor, fell into his views, and the required tenders 

the indefatigable Chairman of the Restora- were obtained. The amount of the lowest 

tion Committee, received a letter, signed was 2,500/., a large sum when the size of 

"Nil Desperandum,'' inquiring if the the structure is considered; and when 

committee would obtain drawings from " Nil Desperandum " was informed of it, 

their architect for the restoration of the he at once replied, that it so far exceeded 

north porch, and estimates from three his anticipation that he could not engage 

respectable contractors in Bristol, for the to proceed under it. He offered, how- 

execution of the work, to enable the writer ever, to furnish a certain sum of money, 

to judge whether or not it would be in his and to make a further contribution in the 

power to provide sufficient funds to carry course of a year, and more afterwards if 

it out. The letter pointed out the mode the committee would undertake to expend 

of correspondence to be adopted, made it in the shape of Caen stone and labour, 

secrecy an express condition of his contri- under the direction of their architect, 

bution, stipulated that no effort should be This the committee assented to, and the 

made to discover him (his letters were to works have been going on gradually ever 

be seen by none but the chairman), and since, money coming regularly as it is 

inclosed 20/. as an evidence of his sin- needed. 



xlv 

In the Section of Antiquities Lord Talbot presiding, Mr. Yates 
read a Memoir on the ancient statue known as "The Dying Gladiator." 
(Printed in this Volume, page 99.) 

Octayius Moegan, Esq., M.P., offered some interesting remarks upon 
the assay and year marks used by goldsmiths in England, and stated 
that he had been able to carry back the latter to a much more distant 
period than was comprised in the lists of the Goldsmiths' Company, 
thus affording the means of precisely ascertaining the date of fabrication 
of ancient English plate. (Printed in Archaeol. Jour. Yol. IX. p. 125.). 
The Key. "W. Gotnee read some curious extracts from the Eoll of 
household expenses of "William of "Wykeham, in the year 1394. 

The Architectural Section assembled in the Chapter-House, and the 
chair was taken by Mr. Maekland. The first communication was on 
the preservation of the remaining sculptures on the west front of "Wells 
Cathedral, by Mr. Edward Eichaedson. One of the regal statues had 
fallen at the time of the assizes in the previous year ; and through the 
liberality of Mr. Markland, and the encouragement of Archdeacon 
Brymer, its restoration had been accomplished. 

The next Memoir was a dissertation " On The Stained Glass at Bristol 
Cathedral, the Mayor's Chapel, and "Wells Cathedral," by Mr. Chaeles 
Winston. (Printed in this Yolume.) 

Mr. Claek then read a Memoir on " Sepulchral Monuments existing 
in the Cathedral and Churches of Bristol." (Given in this Yolume.) 

At the close of the meeting, Mr. Pope accompanied those present to 
the Mayor's Chapel, and pointed out the interesting features of its 
architecture, the tombs and effigies, the decorative pavement of Spanish 
tiles, and other curious details in that building. 

In the afternoon many members availed themselves of the kind per- 
mission of "William Miles, Esq., M.P., to visit his celebrated gallery 
of paintings at Leigh Court. 

A conversazione was held at the Institution in the evening, the Hon. 
"W.Fox Steanoways presiding. Mr.D."W. Nash, M.E.S.L., and Foreign 
Sec y . to the Syro-Egyptian Society, read a dissertation " On the Kassiteros 
of the Greeks, and the Name Kassiterides applied to the British Islands." 
A Memoir was read by the late Mr. W. Tyson, E.S.A., " On some 
Public Transactions in Bristol, in the Eeigns of Henry YI. and Ed- 
ward IY." (Printed infra, p. 28.) 

A Memoir was also communicated by Mr. J. "W. Papwoeth, upon 
surnames, and the information to be derived from heraldry, as indicating 
identity of names which have become strangely corrupted or trans- 
formed, by time or casual errors, so as to appear quite distinct. 

Saturday, August 2. The Historical Section again assembled at the 
Institution, Mr. Hallam presiding. 

A Memoir was read, entitled — " Observations on the Connection of 



xlvi 

Bristol with the Party of De Montfort," by Samuel Lucas, Esq., M.A. 
(Printed in this Volume, page 13.) 

Mr. John Gough Nichols, F.S.A., read a paper on " The Descent 
of the Earldom of Gloucester." (Printed infra, p. 65.) 

In the Section of Antiquities the chair was taken by Mr. Hawkins. 

Geoege Omebod, Esq., D.C.L., communicated a dissertation " On 
British and Roman Remains, illustrating Communications with Yenta 
Silurum, and Ancient Passages of the Bristol Channel." (Printed in 
this Volume, page 40.) 

Mr. Godwin gave " A Notice of a Singular Tomb in St. Philip's 
Church, Bristol." (Printed in this Volume.) 

Peoeessoe Buckman gave an account, illustrated by drawings, of 
some very ancient sculptures in Daglingworth Church, Gloucestershire. 

A communication was read from Mr. Haeeod, accompanying a series 
of beautiful illuminated drawings, sent by the kindness of Dawson 
Tuenee, Esq. They represented ancient stained glass at Martham, 
near Yarmouth, with portions of the series formerly at that place, and 
which Mr. Harrod had succeeded in tracing to the adjacent church of 
Mulbarton. They had been removed thither by a former incumbent. 
Mr. Dawson Turner sent also a drawing of a very singular Roman 
fictile vase, lately disinterred at Burgh Castle. The neck had the form 
of a female head. 

Mr. Quicke read a short notice of the singular discovery of a covered 
cup of crystal, mounted with silver gilt, in the cloisters of the church at 
Hill Court, Gloucestershire. The cup was exhibited in the museum. 

Mr. Feanks read some observations " On Decorative Tiles, with 
Heraldic Bearings, found in Churches in Somersetshire, and described by 
Mr. Lewis Way." (Printed in this Volume.) Mr. Franks gave also a 
notice of the unique pavement of Spanish tiles, properly designated as 
azuleios, in the Mayor's Chapel. They are enamelled in various colours, 
and resemble specimens brought from the Alcazar at Seville. They 
appear to be of the time of the Emperor Charles V., and were probably- 
imported by some Bristol merchant who traded with Spain.* 

Mr. Daniel Paesons produced a collection of book-plates, and re- 
quired information in regard to the earliest occurrence of any such 
engraved marks to be inserted in books. 

In the Architectural Section Mr. Markland presided. A Memoir 
was read by Mr. Bindon, " On destroyed or desecrated Churches in 
Bristol, illustrated by a Map of the City showing the Sites." (Given in 
this Volume.) 

The Rev. John Eccles Caetee offered some remarks " On the Archi- 
tectural History and Peculiar Features of Bristol Cathedral;" with a 
preliminary acknowledgment of the kindness of Mr. Pope, the architect 

* Lysons has given a representation of these tiles, in his " Gloucestershire Anti- 
quities." 



xlvii 

many years employed upon the works at that fabric, and who had 
freely afforded every information which his intimate acquaintance with 
the building and experience enabled him to supply. Mr. Carter also 
expressed his obligation to Mr. Bindon, by whose kindness the illus- 
trative diagrams submitted to the meeting had been provided. He pro- 
ceeded to address the section, as follows : — 

" The architectural description is all I can attempt ; for whatever do- 
cuments existed relative to the history of the Cathedral, were destroyed 
at the Bristol riots. The only original document of authority remain- 
ing is a roll of the time of Abbot Newland, preserved in the muniment- 
room of Berkeley Castle ; and having failed to obtain access to this on 
a former occasion, I have thought it useless to make another attempt. 
The Computa remaining in the Chapter Room do not bear date previous 
to the dissolution of the Abbey. I have, therefore, had no means of 
verifying any printed accounts. According to the commonly received 
opinion, the monastery of St. Augustine was founded in the year 1142, by 
Robert Fitzharding. 

" The earliest remains visible of this structure are some corbels in the 
triforium staircase. Next in date I find this splendid room in which 
we are assembled, and its vestibule. And while we lament the ravages 
of the Bristol rioters, in 1831, as regards the documents, we have to 
acknowledge their services in having brought into notice this most in- 
teresting and peculiar structure. As to the room itself, I must venture to 
point out that it is not Norman, as commonly stated ; but Transitional, as 
may be observed from the central groining arch being slightly pointed, 
and the whole character of the groining gives evidence of the same fact. 

" The vestibule, itself a singular instance in this country of a vestibule 
to a chapter room, contains a striking peculiarity of the Transitional 
style, as the arches from east to west are round, while those from north 
to south are pointed ; the nailhead moulding runs round the arches, and 
the Norman cushioned capital pervades the whole. 

"Leading to the Lower College Green from the Upper is a fine Norman 
or Semi-Norman gateway, in excellent preservation, and in the Lower 
Green is a gate which led into the bishop's palace, of very peculiar con- 
struction, of the same date. Several fragments of the building of this 
period, may be found scattered about in old buildings in the Lower Green. 

" The parts of the original structure remaining in the present Cathedral 
I conceive to be all the walls, as high as the floor of the triforium 
gallery, the two westernmost piers of the choir, and the buttresses at 
the western angles of the tower. In this arrangement we recognise the 
almost invariable rule of the old builders not to disturb more than 
suited their present purpose ; and as it would seem their object in dis- 
turbing the old building was to raise a loftier choir (for there could not 
have been any decay to demand a reparation of the fabric), they left the 



xlviii 

old foundations, and proceeded by degrees to erect the building which 
we have now to examine. 

" The next date of building to those just mentioned I find to be the 
Lady Chapel, on the north side of the choir, erected about the middle of 
Henry III. 's reign, circa 1234. This it must be allowed is a very beauti- 
ful structure. The detached vaulting shafts are of Purbeck marble, now 
painted over ; and the carving of the capitals and string courses is of the 
most grotesque and elaborate character. 

" The present Deanery was also most probably of this date, and there 
exist traces of it, in some of the more ancient parts of the building. 

" The choir, choir aisles as far as the tower, and probably the chapel 
called the Newton Chapel on the south side, were commenced by Abbot 
Knowle in 1306, and one style runs throughout them, though I should 
be inclined to assign a somewhat earlier date to the Newton Chapel, 
as well as to the chapel now used as a vestry, and which has been called 
the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin. And here we are arrested by some 
very peculiar features. The most striking of these is, that the choir and 
choir aisles are of the same height ; and to carry out this arrangement, 
the following ingenious construction has been adopted : — A transom, as 
we must call it, has been thrown across the aisles from the outer walls 
to the capitals of the choir pillars. These are supported on arches 
springing from attached shafts on each side of the aisle, and t in the 
spandrils formed by these are lesser arches, so that the transom is sup- 
ported by the points of three arches. From the centre of the transom 
springs a vaulting shaft which carries the groining of the roof. A hori- 
zontal buttress is thus obtained, which receives the thrust of the groin- 
ing of the choir, and carries it across the aisle to the external buttress. 
We cannot but perceive that the principles of carpentry are here em- 
ployed, and it is an arrangement we should find in wooden construction, 
though we are surprised to see it carried out in stone.* It may be 
noticed that the archivolts of the choir spring from the ground, and run 
round the arches continuously without any capitals. "We also observe a 
difference in the finishing of the groining in the choir. The central com- 
partments in the first three bays towards the east end being plain, 
whilst those below them are foliated. Whether this indicates any 
earlier date for the eastern portion I am not prepared to say ; but there 
is little doubt the builders of those days would have commenced at the 
east end, and worked westward. In this case, they may either have left 

* Here Dr. Whewell interposed and than the shafts from which they sprang, 

said, that he thought no credit was due to To this, however, it may be replied, that, 

the builders for this arrangement; but in the first place, there is no symptom 

that having got into a difficulty, and find- whatever of the pillars having given way, 

ing that the choir pillars were giving way, as they are truly perpendicular; and iu 

they adopted this principle or carpentry to the second, that there is no sign of any 

get out of it; and that they had carried it alteration in the design, from an examina- 

out in a bungling way, the rib of the arch tion of the masonry, 
being of a size much larger in proportion 



xlix 

those parts nearest the high altar more plain to receive paintings ; or 
they may have observed a baldness, about them, and improved their de- 
sign as they advanced. But it has been suggested to me by a learned 
professor here, that the easternmost portion from the ends of the aisles 
may have been the Lady Chapel, a screen running across, or in a penta- 
gonal form, from the pillars immediately below the east end of the aisles. 
This would have allowed of a processional passage at the back of the 
high altar, which we know always stood at the east end of the Presbytery. 
Before quitting the choir, I would direct attention to the great beauty 
of the foliage and carving in general, miserably as it is now defaced by 
yellow wash. It is also remarkable that the whole structure partakes 
very much more of the nature of what we may call German, than Eng- 
lish Gothic of that period. 

" In proceeding to the first chapel which has been called a Chapel of 
the Blessed Virgin, attached to the south aisle, we find a curious 
specimen of an ante-chamber. The peculiar stone roof, with its de- 
tached curved ribs, reminds us again of the principles of carpentry ap- 
plied to stone. The carving throughout is strikingly bold, and the 
niches and recesses, for whatever purpose they may have been used, are 
very curious. Running round the label of the doorway entering the 
chapel there is an unique specimen of an "Ammonite" moulding. It 
was ingeniously suggested by the late dean that this might have been a 
chapel of St. Keyna — that saint having, by tradition, turned all the 
serpents which abounded in the neighbourhood of Bristol and Keynsham 
into stones. The chapel itself is evidently of earlier date than the 
choir, and at the south western corner is a part of the original Norman 
building. There is a peculiar foliage on one of the capitals looking 
like a poppy or water lily ; and the soffits of the window arches are 
highly ornamented with a gigantic ball flower and other decorations. In 
the Norman part at the south western corner is a flight of stairs which 
evidently led to an upper chamber, and which indicates that this chapel 
(which, as may be seen from the altars and their accompaniments was di- 
vided into two), was a chantry chapel, and not one to the Blessed Virgin. 

" The chapel, now called the Newton Chapel, from Judge Newton, who 
was living in 1447, having been buried there, seems also to have been 
built before the choir. And we must remember throughout, that as 
there was standing a sound Norman Cathedral, it was very easy to 
attach these chapels to it ; and when that earlier fabric was altered, to 
adjust the new choir to the chapels and earlier parts of the decorated 
building. 

" The date attributed to the tower is from 1423 to 1481 ; and there is 
pretty good evidence that the upper part of the south transept, built on 
the Norman foundation, was finished at the latter date. The south 
window is now under repair ; and on removing the jaumbs, the arrange- 
ment of the old Norman lights was very visible. In the window itself 



1 

were two coats of painted glass in their original leading, though much 
mutilated. 

" One of these coats contained the bearings of Edward the Confessor — 
azure, a cross fleurie or, between five martlets. The other, as far as can 
be discovered from the fragments is — quarterly azure and gules ; first 
and fourth, three fleurs de lys ; second and third, three lioncels. Now, 
we know that the fifth Henry reduced the number of fleurs de lys on his 
coat to three ; and Edward IV. bore the same arms, surrounded by the 
garter, with a black bull and white lion for supporters. On the dexter 
side of the present coat is a white lion as supporter. 

" The north transept, it is pretty clear, was finished in the time of 
Abbot Newland or Nailheart, circa 1491, as we find his device or rebus, 
a heart pierced with nails, as one of the bosses in the groining. 

" There is a singular combination of styles in the north eastern angle 
of this transept, and it is not very easy to discover (especially through 
the coatings of wash and plaster) how they were adjusted to each other. 
The doorway also into the Lady Chapel, at this corner, is of disputed 
date, and I have not been able to arrive at any conclusion on the point 
from any documents which are accessible. 

" The last architectural feature as to date, is the altar screen, the upper 
part of which was finished by Burton in 1533." 

Mr. Carter then proceeded with his audience to visit the Cathedral, 
and to offer on the spot such illustrative observations as the detailed 
examination of the various parts of the fabric suggested. 

On returning to the Chapter Boom, Mr, Eccles Carter resumed his 
discourse, and adverted to the ruinous state of the present tower ; and 
the question regarding the existence of a nave of the same date as the 
choir. Mr. Carter expressed hi3 opinion, that the Norman nave was 
destroyed at the dissolution of monasteries, temp. Hen. VIII. 

Mr. Pope offered some remarks upon the same subject, and gave an 
account of the foundations of the ancient nave, which he had himself 
brought to light, in the course of works carried on under his direction. 
He laid before the meeting a plan indicating those remains, consisting 
of the bases and plinths of piers, on the south side ; and he described 
the discovery of some curious interments and vestiges of ancient date, 
on the removal of the old floor of the Chapter House. 

Mr. Ereeman wished to call the attention of the meeting to the 
arrangements of the choir, which were very singular, and seemed to have 
been materially affected by the destruction of the nave. Elsewhere, he 
need hardly observe, the choir screen was seldom, if ever, found placed 
further to the east than the eastern arch of the lantern, while it was 
very frequently found a considerable way down the constructive nave. In 
Bristol Cathedral, on the other hand, the screen was placed two bays to the 
east of the lantern, those two bays, with the lantern itself, being thus in- 



li 

geniously converted into a sort of small nave or ante-ehapel. But besides 
this, the altar was placed at the extreme east end, which, though less sin- 
gular than the other arrangement, was certainly not the usual practice in a 
church of this size. Again, the last pier in the choir arcades supports a 
much more prominent vaulting arch than any of the others, being more 
than a mere rib, and rather marking a division between two portions of the 
church ; there is also a difference in the vaulting to the east, and to the 
west of this arch, the latter being the more elaborate. These circum- 
stances might seem to point out this as the original position of the high 
altar, which would in fact be its usual position ; leaving the projecting 
portion without aisles as an eastern chapel, and the intermediate bay, as 
what Professor Willis called a " procession-path." Now, the choir-screen 
might be dated within a very few years, as in its spandrils we find the 
initials " H.B,." and " E. P." the latter with the ordinary badge of the 
Prince of "Wales, which fixes it between 1537, the year of the birth, and 
1547, that of the accession of Edward YI. It seems natural to conclude 
from these facts, that the date of the destruction of the nave was, as is 
generally believed, between the dissolution of the Abbey and its re- 
storation as a Cathedral ; and that, on the latter event, an entire change 
in the internal arrangements was rendered necessary. In order to pro- 
cure something approaching to the character of a nave, everything was 
pushed eastwards; the roodscreen placed two bays east of its usual 
position, the eastern chapel thrown into the choir, and the high altar 
erected at the extreme east end of the church. The only difficulty, Mr. 
Freeman observed, was that at the point which other considerations 
pointed out as the boundary between the original choir and the eastern 
chapel, he had not been able to find against the pier any signs of the 
screen which would naturally be looked for. He would, therefore, not 
assert his theory too confidently, as it had been necessarily formed on a 
somewhat cursory examination of the church ; but would rather throw it 
out for the consideration of those local antiquaries who had more opportu- 
nity than himself for an attentive examination of its minuter peculiarities. 

Mr. Charles Wicks, of Leicester, read a Memoir " On Church Towers 
and Spires, more especially as illustrated by those in Somersetshire, the 
Towers of St. Mary Eedcliffe, and St. Stephen's, Bristol, with other 
examples." 

In the afternoon the members of the Institute were received by the 
President, at his seat, Blaize Castle, adjacent to the ancient fortification 
on the heights of Henbury. 

In the evening a conversazione was given by the Bristol Society of 
Architects, at their apartments in the curious ancient mansion in Small- 
street, known as " Colson's House." The majority of the members of 
the Institute, still remaining in Bristol, were present. The most friendly 
and gratifying feeling had been evinced by that society towards the 
Institute on all occasions throughout the proceedings of the week. 



lii 

Monday, August 4. — This day was devoted to an excursion to the Ro- 
man remains of Isca Silurum, the Institute having received a cordial invi- 
tation from the Caerleon Antiquarian Association, conveyed by their Pre- 
sident, Sir Digby Mackwoeth, Bart., to attend their anniversary meeting 
at that place. A steamer conveyed the party to Chepstow, where they 
visited the castle and church, and proceeded by railway to Newport. 
Here they examined the curious church of St. Wollos, a structure pre- 
senting some remarkable peculiarities. The nave is of Norman date, 
with a fine western door * west of the nave, and uniting it to the per- 
pendicular tower, is a portion of an ancient structure, by some regarded 
as more ancient than the nave itself. They then proceeded to Caerleon, 
and were welcomed by the members of the Monmouthshire Society, who 
conducted their visitors to the museum, recently completed, in which, 
through the praiseworthy and indefatigable exertions of Mr. Lee, a 
large assemblage of local antiquities had already been arranged. The 
Archaeologists then visited the castle mound and remains of the 
Roman Yilla, discovered in the grounds of Mr. Jenkins.* Of this 
building great part had unfortunately been removed by the proprietor, 
but numerous objects of interest were brought to light during the 
excavations. They were then invited by Mr. Lee to his residence at the 
Priory, replete with objects of antiquarian interest, and where some 
highly interesting remarks on Monmouthshire antiquities were offered 
by the Rev. J. M. Traherne. After examining the other objects of Archaeo- 
logical interest at Caerleon, the visitors were guided to the Roman 
Amphitheatre, commonly known as "Arthur's Round Table," in which 
hospitable entertainment had been provided by the members of the 
Caerleon Association. Sir Digby Mackworth took the chair, and the 
festivities of this gratifying reception passed in a manner highly agree- 
able to all who participated in them. Lord Talbot proposed the health 
of the President and Members of the Association, through whose kind- 
ness they had witnessed the interesting results of the Archaeological 
movement in Monmouthshire. He commended warmly the benefits 
accruing from such local institutions, and the valuable efforts of an 
energetic and able antiquary, Mr. Lee, to whom antiquaries were chiefly 
indebted for the establishment of the museum they had visited, and the 
preservation of a great number of ancient vestiges, of great local in- 
terest, which must otherwise have been dispersed or destroyed. Sir 
Digby acknowledged the compliment, and proposed — Prosperity to the 
Institute, with the health of his noble and distinguished guests. Some 
of the members then visited Christ Church and other objects of archi- 
tectural interest in the neighbourhood of Caerleon ; and in the evening 
the party returned to Chepstow, and were safely landed at Bristol, after 
a day of very agreeable and social enjoyment. 

* See Archseol. Journal, vol. vii. p. 07. 



liii 

Tuesday, August 5. — A meeting was held at the Bristol Institution, 
Lord Talbot de Malahide in the chair. 

Mr. Tyson read a short Memoir on the ship called ." The Nicholas of 
the Tower," mentioned by Hall and other chroniclers, in connection 
with the murder of the Duke of Suffolk, in 1450. (Printed in this 
Volume, page 35.) 

Mr. Joseph Btjbtt communicated two Documents relating to the 
History of Bristol, from the Chapter-House, Westminster. (Printed 
infra, page 80.) 

Captain Chapman, B.E., offered some suggestions regarding the pre- 
paration of a map of British and Roman Bemains in the district sur- 
rounding Bath and Bristol. 

Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bart., sent the following note, in reference to 
the "Bowley Controversy" : — 

" I think it has been affirmed that the tale regarding Thomas Bowley 's 
poems, was entirely an invention of Chatterton. As to the poems, I 
will not pretend to answer for them ; but that Thomas Bowley (or, as 
then written in the MS. I have seen, Booley) lived at Bristol I can 
guarantee, and I give you the following pedigree of his descendants : — 

Thomas Rooley, of = Margaret. 
Bristol. 



I 
Joan. -p Roger Twyniho. 



I 
Sibilla. -j- Stephen Payne, of Payne's Place, 

countv Dorset. 



I 
Ann, d. and h. ~r Walter Tourney, 1515. 



I 
George Tourney. 



Catherine, d. and h. — William Wehb, of Motcomhe, 
county Dorset. 

From this "William Webb, and Catherine his wife, descend the Bamp- 
fields of Hardington and the present Lord Poltimore." 

Mr. John G. Ceokee communicated a notice, through Mr. Pitman 
Jones, of Exeter, regarding the recent discovery of two stone moulds 
for casting weapons of bronze, at a considerable depth, near Chudleigh, 
Devon. Drawings of these curious relics were also sent for examination. 

Before the meeting closed, Mr. James Yates desired to bring under 
the consideration of the society the deficiency of any public collection 
of casts from antique statues and sculptures of mediaeval times, with 



liv 

other objects, not less valuable as progressive examples of art than 
interesting to the Archaeologist. He considered that the erection of the 
Crystal Palace, and the accumulation of large funds still unappropriated 
to any public purpose, presented a favourable occasion for supplying this 
defect. Collections of that nature, he observed, exist in most foreign 
capitals, where the advantage of such repositories, not only to artists 
and scholars, whose attention is given to the investigations of ancient 
remains, but to many classes of manufactures, had been fully recognised. 
Mr. Yates considered that this deficiency in our national institution, 
had arisen from the want of any building large enough to receive such a 
collection. He suggested, therefore, that a petition to Parliament, or 
memorial to the Commissioners of the Industrial Exhibition, should be 
addressed on behalf of the Institute, and he proposed several resolutions, 
embodying these considerations, and authorising the central committee 
to use their endeavours, in such manner as might seem hereafter most 
expedient, to give furtherance to so desirable an object. 

Lord Talbot assented cordially to the suggestions made by Mr. Yates, 
and submitted to the meeting the proposed resolution, which was una- 
nimously adopted. He recommended that the subject should be referred 
to the central committee, requesting them to prosecute this object as 
they might find favourable occasion arise, for the accomplishment of a 
purpose so desirable for public gratification and instruction. 

The Architectural Section assembled in the Chapter House, and the 
chair was taken by Edward Ereeman, Esq. Mr. George Pryce read a 
paper relating to the period of the erection of St. Mary Bedcliffe Church, 
and the persons by whom the various parts were built. He read also a 
memoir on examples of the early use of the pointed arch, in buildings 
existing in Bristol. 

The Eev. E. Warre called the attention of the meeting to the works 
at present in progress in Bridgewater Church, by which many of its 
ancient features were being destroyed under the pretence of " restora- 
tion." He particularly alluded to a remarkable "hagioscope,"* and 
stated that the Somersetshire Archaeological Society had employed re- 
monstrance in vain. 

Mr. Ereeman said that, having lately examined Bridgewater Church, 
he could fully confirm Mr. Warre's remarks as to the general character 
of the works carried on there. Being generally less disposed to pay 
attention to ecclesiological minutiae than to strictly architectural matters, 
he had not himself minutely examined the "hagioscope " referred to by 
that gentleman ; but he could testify to what seemed to him the gross 
absurdity of erecting a Decorated clerestory over Perpendicular arcades. 
The matter was the graver as the architect distinctly asserted his right 
to innovate upon old buildings at pleasure. He had no wish to say a 
single word personally disrespectful to the gentleman concerned, as, in 
* Archseol. Journal, vol. iii. p. 307. 



lv 

the conversation he had had with him, he had found him a courteous 
and agreeable person ; but he felt it strongly to be his own duty and 
that of the Institute to protest, in every way open to them, against so 
monstrous a doctrine. 

The concluding general meeting took place in the Guildhall at one 
o'clock. The chair was taken by the President, J. Scandrett Harford, 
Esq., who communicated letters which he had received from Lord Teign- 
mouth, the Archdeacon of Bristol, Sir Thomas Acland, Bart., Col. Baw- 
linson, and other persons, whose presence had been anticipated during 
the week, expressing their regret at having been unable to take part in 
the proceedings. 

The Annual Beports of the Committee and of the auditors were then 
submitted to the meeting, and unanimously adopted. 

The following list of members of the Central Committee retiring in 
usual course, and of members of the Society nominated to fill the va- 
cancies, was then proposed to the meeting, and adopted. 

Members selected to retire : — The Earl of Enniskillen, Vice-President; 
Henry Hallam, Esq. ; T. W. King, Esq., York Herald ; H. B. Lane, 
Esq. ; Bev. S. T. Bigaud ; Edward Smirke, Esq. ; and Sir Bichard West- 
macott. The following gentlemen were elected to supply the vacancies : 
—The Lord Talbot de Malahide, Vice-President; the Hon. "W. Box 
Strangways, M.A. ; "W\ J. Bernhard Smith, Esq., Barrister-at-Law ; 
Joseph Burtt, Esq., Becord Office, Chapter House, Westminster ; F. C. 
Penrose, Esq., M.A. ; Samuel Peace Pratt, Esq., E.B.S. ; and Anthony 
Salvin, Esq., E.S.A. 

The following gentlemen were then unanimously elected as Auditors, 
for the year 1851 : — Charles Desborough Bedford, Esq., Doctors' Com- 
mons ; Edmund Oldfield, Esq., M.A., British Museum. 

The occasion having now arrived to determine the place of meeting 
for the ensuing year, 

The President stated, that the Institute had received several very 
cordial invitations from various parts of the kingdom, especially from 
Lichfield, from the Archaeological Institute of Suffolk, and from New- 
castle. The central committee wished to recommend to the Society the 
place last mentioned. It was accordingly proposed and resolved, that 
the meeting of the following year should take place at Newcastle. It 
was also proposed by Lord Talbot, seconded by Mr. Hawkins, and carried 
by acclamation, that his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, Patron of 
the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle, and from whose kindness the 
Institute had on many occasions received the most gratifying encourage- 
ment, should be requested to honour the Society by officiating as pre- 
sident at their next meeting. 

The customary expressions of thanks were then voted to those per- 
sons and public institutions, by whose friendly encouragement or co- 
operation the proceedings of the Society had been facilitated. 



lvi 

Lord Talbot moved thanks to the Mayor and Corporation, by whose 
kindness the Guildhall and Council-house had been placed at the disposal 
of the Institute ; and he alluded to the unusual demonstration at the 
commencement of the week, which had afforded so much gratification, in 
the display of the ancient Municipal treasures. 

Mr. Yates proposed a vote of acknowledgment to the Bristol Philo- 
sophical Institution, and to Mr. Naish Sanders, for that cordial welcome 
so liberally shown in encouragement of the purpose which had brought 
the Institute to that ancient city. 

Mr. Freeman moved a suitable acknowledgment to the Dean and 
Chapter, to the Bristol Academy of Pine Arts, the Bristol Society of 
Architects, and various local Institutions, by whose kindness the grati- 
fication of the Society had been enhanced. 

Lord Talbot proposed a resolution in cordial acknowledgment of the 
courtesies and hospitality shown by the Dean of Wells, Sir Digby 
Mackworth, and the members of the Caerleon Society, who had invited 
the Institute and given them so hearty a reception in Monmouthshire : 
he adverted also to the kindness of several gentlemen, especially Mr. 
Miles, of Leigh Court, and Mr. Howard, with others whose friendly 
consideration towards the Society claimed their very cordial thanks. 

Similar votes of thanks were also moved, expressive of the feeling en- 
tertained by the Society for facilities liberally afforded in the arrange- 
ment of the museum at the Bishop's College ; for the kindness also 
shown by the numerous contributors to that collection. 

Thanks were proposed to the contributors of Memoirs, especially to 
the author of that delivered at the inaugural meeting, relating to the 
Municipal Antiquities of the city ; and to the Local Committee, espe- 
cially to the Town Clerk, Daniel Burges, Esq., and Mr. Tyson, whose 
unwearied and friendly exertions had so essentially promoted the success 
of the proceedings now brought to so satisfactory a termination. 

These votes having been severally proposed from the chair, and cor- 
dially adopted, Lord Talbot moved the hearty expression of the thanks 
of the Institute to the President, whose kindness and consideration on 
this occasion would long be remembered. The motion was seconded by 
Mr. Hawkins, and carried by acclamation. After a short farewell 
address from Mr. Hareord, the meeting dispersed. 

The following Donations were received in aid of the expenses of the 
Bristol Meeting: — 

J. S. Harford, Esq., President, 101. ; the Mayor of Bristol, 5/. 55. ; 
Sir John Boileau, Bart., 51. ; "William Salt, Esq., 51. ; B. P. King, 
Esq., 21. 2s. ; Frederic Ouvry, Esq., 51. ; A. H. Palmer, Esq., 11. Is. ; 
Dr. Symonds, 21. 2s. ; Eev. Q-. M. Traherne, 21. ; W. M. Gore Langton, 
Esq., 21. 2s. ; Eobert Bright, Esq., 21. 2s. ■ Albert ^Yny, Esq., 21. ; 
Henry G. Tomkins, Esq., 21. 2s. 



CATALOGUE OF ANTIQUITIES 

Exhibited in the Temporary Museum formed during the Annual 

Meeting of the Archaeological Institute, held at Bristol, 

July, 1851. 



ANTIQUITIES FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES, COMPRISING ANCIENT RELICS 
NOT CONNECTED WITH BRITAIN. 

A collection of Abraxean gems, nineteen in number, formed by B. 
H. Bright, Esq., and accompanied by a descriptive Catalogue. Several 
specimens of ancient Indian pottery from Lima, Truxillo, and the 
Peruvian tombs ;* a small grotesque vase of black stone, from Mexico ; 
a very curious silver drinking-vessel, rudely representing a human face, 
from the ancient tombs near Lima ; and a small hatchet of jade, from 
New York, similar in form to the stone celts of Europe ; also various 
implements and objects of stone from Tahiti, New Zealand, and other 
countries, interesting for the purpose of comparison with ancient 
relics of stone found in Europe ; a remarkable stone axe-head (locality 
not stated), in form closely resembling one found near Alexandria 
(figured, Archaeol. Journal, viii. p. 421). — The Bristol Philosophical 
Institution. 

Five antique lamps of red ware, from Herculaneum and Constanti- 
nople.— -Jfr. W. Tyson, F.S.A. 

Two lamps of red ware, one of them ornamented with three heads of 
fauns around the central opening. It was obtained at Eome, 1823, and 
stated to have been found near the Forum. — Mr. J. M. Paget. 

A small figure, described as a Syrian idol, with an inscription in Greek 
characters around the head, — Mr. Henry C. Harford. 

* A few specimens were kindly sent by in their museum, which are well deserving 
the Institution, from the valuable collec- of careful attention, 
tion of South American sepulchral vases 



lviii 

Fragment of an Etruscan vase in the finished Greek style, found at 
Euvo. A bronze celt, from Etruria. — Mr. A. W. Franks. 

Bronze Etruscan mirrors. — Lord Talbot de Malaliide. 

Unguentaries of glass and fictile ware, found near Eome. — Mr. F. K. 
Harford. 

Golden bulla, found in an alabaster urn near Eome; brought to 
England by Dr. Conyers Middleton, and purchased by Horace Walpole. 
Engraved by Eicoroni, La Bolla d'oro, Eoma, 1732, and Dr. Middleton, 
Ant. Erud. Mon., p. 22. See also Mr. Yates' Memoirs, Archseol. Journ. 
vi. p. 113 ; viii. p. 166. — Lady Fellows. 

Medallion portrait of a Eoman youth wearing the bulla ; executed by 
a remarkable process of ancient art, between two plates of glass. Pur- 
chased at the Strawberry Hill sale. — The Bev. Dr. Bliss. 

Small Egyptian figure of earthenware, partly vitrified, and coated with 
green glaze ; also a cast from the celebrated cameo, representing Jupiter 
iEgiochus, preserved in the Library of St. Mark, Venice, and the subject 
of a dissertation by Visconti. This cast was made by the Calmuc, Eeodor. 
Mr. James Yates. 

A Eoman as. — Mr. John Moore Paget. 

An Italian as, of Hadria, inscribed HAT, on the reverse ; also three 
pieces, divisions of the as ; Syracusan decadrachm, of silver ; five in- 
taglios, Assyrian gems ; a fine cameo, the head of Silenus, on root of 
amethyst, mounted in gold ; an Etruscan mirror, and three golden 
ornaments ; also a bronze celt, probably from Italy, of uncommon form, 
and coated with fine smooth patina ; compare one, figured in Cab. de 
Ste. Genevieve, p. 19. — Mr. C. W. Loscombe. 

A curious selection of ancient objects, both of flint and of metal, found 
in Denmark and Norway, very interesting for comparison with ana- 
logous relics discovered in England. They comprised hatchets, a 
hammer-head, gouge, chisel, dagger and knives of silex. An iron sword, 
axe and spear, the umbo of a shield, a spur and three knives, all found 
in a Norwegian place of interment ; a bronze tortoise-shaped brooch, 
from Norway, formed in two pieces (compare that found near Bedale, 
Archseol. Journal, v. p. 220) ; smaller relics of bronze, from Norwegian 
tumuli, and a little bronze cup of semi-globular form, with a small per- 
forated handle, from the Eifel Mountain-range. — L>r. Thumam. 

Indian weapons, of stone, consisting of a hatchet, a spear-head, and 
arrow-heads, from North America, — Mr. W. Cunnington. 



lix 



EARLY BRITISH AND IRISH ANTIQUITIES, ROMAN ANTIQUITIES DISCO- 
VERED IN GREAT BRITAIN, ROMANO-BRITISH ANTIQUITIES, &C. 

Several remarkable objects of stone, from the Turbaries between 
Glastonbury and the sea ; — flint spears ; an implement of stone, mea- 
suring in its present state 10 in., one end being broken, the other 
sharply pointed : it has been supposed to have served as the point of 
a plough-share ; also a broken celt, from Chilton-super-Polden. See 
Mr. Stradling's Memoir on the discoveries in these curious turbaries, 
Proceedings of Somerset Archseol. Soc, 1849-50, p. 48. — Mr. W. 
Stradling. 

Two celts or axe-heads, of flint, one with square-cut edges at both 
ends ; found at Bourne Mouth, Hants. — The Rev. John Austen. 

Arrow-head, of black flint ; found at the remarkable hill-fortress 
known as Lingfield Mark Camp, Surrey. (See Mr. Beale Poste's 
Memoir, Trans, of Archaeol. Assoc, at Gloucester, p. 94). — The Rev. 
O. Gaunt. 

A stone celt, found at Dunham, Norfolk, and a barbed javelin-head of 
white flint, from the same place, length 3 in. — Mr. G. Carthew. 

Flint celts, from Suffolk. A very fine stone weapon of this class, 
found in 1846 at Shaw Hall, Flixton, near Manchester, measuring 13 in. 
in length, circumference 8 in., weight nearly 4 lbs. — Mr. Rrackstone. 

Celt of light brown chert (?) ; found 1789, in Glamorganshire, 
with another celt. Presented to the British Museum. — Rev. J. M. 
Traheme. 

A collection of stone celts and arrow-heads, found in Ireland ; also a 
remarkable blade or knife, of grey silex, found with moss, the Hypnum 
hrevirostre, wrapped round its blunt extremity, to form apparently a 
substitute for a handle. It was found in the bed of the river Bann, at 
Toome Bridge, between the counties of Antrim and Derry. Other 
knives, without such handles, were found at the same time. Proceedings 
Roy. Irish Acad., 1851, vol. v., p. 176. — An oval stone, supposed to have 
been for use with the sling. — Lord Talbot de Malahide. 

Various stone celts from the counties of Antrim, Down, Derry, Ar- 
magh, and Westmeath ; two polished flint celts, of rare occurrence, and 
a flint knife, from county Antrim. — Mr. BracJcstone. 

Two small vessels of baked clay, not formed with the lathe, one being 
of semi-globular form, the surface set all over with irregular knobs, 
resembling in that respect those found by Sir Richard Colt Hoare at 
Upton Lovel and Amesbury ; Anc. Wilts, vol. i. pi. xi. xxiv. It was 
discovered at Preday, on the Mendip Hills ; diameter, about 3 in. The 
other was found in a tumulus at Walmead, near the Portway from 
Camerton, Somerset, and precisely resembles in form that found at 

e 2 



lx 

Fovant, Anc. Wilts, pi. xxxiii. ; but the chevrony and punctured orna- 
ment is more elaborate. Its dimensions are : diameter, 4^ in. ; base, 2^-; 
height, 2 in. There are two holes at the side, about half an inch apart, 
possibly for suspension. From the collection of the late Rev. J. Skinner, 
of Camerton. — The Bristol Philosophical Institution* 

A small earthen vessel, found 1 849, in a tumulus at Bulford, "Wilts ; 
small bronze pins, and beads of a white coralline material, were found in 
it. (See woodcut, half the original size). — Mr. Albert Way. 




Bronze spear-head, remarkable for its length (14 in.) and fine pre- 
servation. Three very curious objects of bronze, originally enamelled, 
supposed to have been attached to horse furniture ; they were found in 
1800, on Polden Hill, near Bridgwater, as related in Arch apologia, 
vol. xiv. p. 90. One of them is identical with the relic there repre- 
sented, pi. xxii. fig. 1. Also a piece of metal, curiously ornamented in 
the same style, appended to a small chain ; a massive bronze tore, one 
of a pair found in 1794 on the south side of the Quantock Hills ; and a 
palstave, one being deposited within each tore, according to the account 
in Archaeologia, vol. xiv. p. 94. Weight of the tore, about 2 lbs. ; diameter, 
nearly 9 in. — Mr. Henry C. Harford, Frenchay. 

Bronze bridle-bit, originally ornamented with enamel fixed in cavities 
on the surface ; part of the remarkable deposit found, in 1800, on Polden 
Hill, and very similar to the bridle-bit figured, Archasologia, vol. xiv. 
pi. xix. Twelve were found, and the greater part of these relics, for- 
merly in the collection of Mr. Anstice, of Bridgwater, have been pur- 
chased by the trustees of the British Museum. — The Bristol Philoso- 
phical Institution. 

Two bronze torques, and an armlet ; found in Tadham Moor, just 
below a place called Heath house, in Wedmore parish, Somerset. The 
spot lies towards the village of Burtle ; and these remains were found in 
digging turf for fuel, about 1845. The armlet is formed of thin wire, 
upon which are strung two beads of amber. Also a third bronze tore, 
of larger size, stated to have been found in a turf moor, at or near 
AVesthay, and adjacent to the parish of Meare, Somerset. — Mrs. Phip- 
pen, Badgicorth Court, Axhridgc. 



lxi 



A massive bronze collar ; found about sixty yards from the Tower 
House, Wraxall, Somerset. It lay at a depth of about 18 in., close upon 
the rock ; weight, 2 lb. 12^ oz. The surface is curiously chased, and 
there appear to have been studs, or gems, set at intervals. This very 
curious ornament is of the same class as that found in Cornwall, 
Archaeol. vol. xvi. pi. x., to which it is nearly similar in dimensions. — 
Mr. C. Thornton Coathu-pe. 

Bronze socketed celt ; found near Malton, Yorkshire — a specimen of 
interesting character. — Mr. JBracJcstone. 

Bronze socketed celt, of peculiar fashion, found in the Thames near 
"Wandsworth; length 4fin. The side loop is in a position hitherto . 





Bronze Mace-Head, from Wiltshire. 
Length, 3 inches. 



Bronze Celt, from the Thames. 
Length, 4f inches. 

without example amongst ancient relics of this class ; also, a spiked 
mace-head, found in Wiltshire. — The Archaeological Institute. 

Bronze celt, found at Abury, "Wilts ; specimen of ancient cloth, found 
with an interment in a barrow in that county, and a facsimile model of 



W. Gun- 



lxii 



a necklace of amber beads, discovered in a like deposit. — Mr. 
nington. 

A massive metallic ring, much 
oxidated, diam. about -I- in., resem- 
bling in form the gold penannular 
rings, regarded by Irish antiquaries 
as "ring-money." It was found by 
the late Mr. Hasell, in a tumulus 
called Dundon Beacon, near Somer- 
ton ; and had been deposited in a 
rudely-fashioned urn, with a skeleton 
in a kneeling posture, placed in a 
rude cist. The urn contained a large 
number of these rings, supposed to 
be of tin, and to have been the cur- 
rency of very early times. Also, a 
fragment of the urn thus discovered. 
Several bronze weapons found in So- 
merset, comprising celts and spear- 
heads from the Turbaries ; a blade, 
in length llf-in., described as the 
" Gwaew-fon, or Fonwayw," from 
the Chilton Turbary (compare Skel- 
ton, Goodrich Court Armory, pi. 47, 
fig. 8) ; bronze rings ; fibulae from 
Knowl Hill and Moorlinch, and a 
singular bronze object, found at Chil- 
ton Bustle (described as a " G-waell," 
or British brooch — see woodcut) . Its 
length is 5 in. A bronze relic, ana- 
logous in fashion, was found with 
massive armillse, &c, on the Sus- 
sex Downs*. — Mr. Stradling, Bose- 



A bronze falx, resembling those found in Ireland, and a bronze celt, 
ornamented with engraved lines. Both were found in Norfolk. Archaeol. 
Journ. vol. viii. p. 191.— Mr. Plowright, Sivqfham. 

A remarkable bronze blade, length 9^ in., engraved with lines and 
vandyked ornaments : it was fastened to the haft by three massive 
rivets, still preserved. This fine weapon resembles those found in 
Wilts, Hoare, pi. 14, 15, described as spear-heads, round in Yorkshire. 
— Mr. A. W. Franks. 




* Sussex Archreol. Coll. vol. ii. p. 265. 



lxiii 

Irish antiquities of gold, comprising a gorget and two other relics, 
formerly in the collection of Dr. Adam Clark ; an armilla, purchased 
from ]\Ir. Cureton; two specimens of gold "ring-money," one of them 
of the curious tvpe, with thin plates attached to the ends. Also, a 
bronze ring, one of a large deposit, amounting to a ton in weight, 
found in a tumulus : presented by the late Dean of St. Patrick's ; 
a pair of iron manillas, of recent fabrication, for trade with Africa, 
interesting from the analogy of form with that of ancient penannular 
Irish ornaments. — Mr. C. W. Loscomle. 

Coloured drawings, of the full size, representing the series of antiqui- 
ties in the ]\Iuseum of the Eoyal Irish Academy, at Dublin ; fifty-two 
folio sheets. — Tlte Eoyal Irish Academy. 

A remarkable collection of Irish antiquities of bronze, comprising a 
series of celts, from various parts of Ireland, many of them curiously 
ornamented, especially one found in county Tp'one. Palstaves, and 
looped or socketed celts, from several localities in Ireland; bronze chisels 
from county IMeath and Cork ; spear-heads of various forms and dimen- 
sions : one of them, found at Eoscrea, county Tipperary, has a portion of 
the wooden shaft still remaining in the socket ; a fine bronze sword, 
found at Aughrhn, 1850, and another from county Limerick ; a perfect 
specimen of the scythe-shaped weapon, of bronze, of large dimensions, 
from the river Shannon, near Athlone ; bronze daggers, and skeins, arm- 
lets, and a bronze bridle-bit. — Mr. Brackstone. 

Abronze arrow-head, with 
socket to receive the shaft, 
and side loops : found near 
Clonmel, county Tipperary. 
See woodcut, original size. 
— Mr. Albert Way. 

Series of bronze celts, from Ireland, and other localities ; two celts, 
found near Eoine ; a bronze object of uncertain use, found in Ireland, 
supposed by some antiquaries to have served to support a plume on the 
head of a war-horse. See a representation of one, in Gough's edition of 
Camden's Britannia, vol. iv. pi. xv. p. 232. — The Hon. Board of Ordnance. 

Two massive bronze armlets (? ), the disunited ends somewhat dilated; 
diameter of the ring, about 3 in.; thickness of the metal bar, about % in.; 
weight of one of the rings, 12 oz. Pound in a tumulus in the Scilly 
Islands, with an agate bead perfectly polished (exhibited with the rings), 
and a perforated stone disc, measuring about 2 in. diameter. — Mr. Augus- 
tus Smith. 

Palstave, found at Queenstown, county Cork, and described as a 
Danish celt, a settlement of Danes having existed there. It has a 
remarkably deep stop-ridge. — Mr. John Moore Paget. 




lxiv 



A massive armlet, of jet or cannel coal ( ? ), flat on the inner 
side ; fonnd at Cirencester. One precisely similar in fashion was 
found at Lincoln, as communicated by Mr. Trollope. — Professor 
Buckman. 

Irish antiquities of bronze, comprising a palstave of very rare form, 
having a loop at each side * (see woodcuts) ; an arrow head, several celts, 
bronze rings, weapons, and a penannular ring brooch. Length of the 
palstave, 6 inches. — The Lord Talbot de Malahide. 




A fine agate ball, not perforated, perfectly polished, described as a 
" Grlain Nadir, found in an Archdruid's tumulus in Cornwall." Pre- 
sented by Sir James Hamlyn "Williams to the late Charles J. Harford, 
Esq. — Mr. Henry C. Harford, Frenchay. 

A bead of blue glass, spotted with opaque white, described as " an 
adder-stone ring, found in Cardiganshire." — Miss Attwood. 

Eight beads of vitreous paste, two of opaque yellow colour, two 
melon-shaped; also four calculi of glass. — The Bristol Philosophical 
Institution. 



* A palstave, almost precisely similar, 
dug up near South Petherton, is in the 



possession of Mr. H. Norris, of* that 
place. 







A BALL DISCOVERED IN A CINERARY URN. 01T THE DOWNS 

NEAR THE RACE-COURSE .BRIGHTON. 

Hi the Possession of Gideon. Algernon ManteTL L.I.I). F.R.S. 




A BALL FOUND JN 1847 NEAR THE OLD MOAT 07 THE, RECTORY GARDEN, 

SIYMBRIDG-E, GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 

In tne Possession of lie ReY^.M.White . D .D. 



lxv 

A remarkable ball, ornamented with stars, formed in clays (?) of 
various colours. Found in 1847, in cleansing the drain of the ancient 
moat, surrounding the rectory garden at Slymbridge, Gloucestershire, 
adjoining the churchyard. It lay embedded in gravel beneath the mud; 
the weight is 21b. 12^ oz.— The Bev. B. M. White, D.D., Bector of 



Another ball, closely resembling that found at Slymbridge. — See the 
accompanying plate. It was found in an urn, apparently of the usual 
coarse half-burnt British pottery, dug up on the Downs near the race- 
course at Brighton. The urn contained ashes. One side of this very 
curious ball being fractured, a stony nucleus is discernible, apparently a 
kind of chert (?), upon which the layers of coloured paste have been 
attached, and the surface rubbed down to a truly spherical figure. — 
Dr. Mantell, LL.D. 

A stone altar, discovered in 1825, with pottery and ashes, &c, in a 
tumulus on Tidenham Chase, Gloucestershire, between the Severn and 
the Wye, near the course of Offa's Dyke, as noticed in Archseologia, 
voL xxix. p. 14, and in this volume, p. 63. This altar, which ap- 
parently bore no inscription, was kindly placed at the disposal of the 
Institute by Dr. Ormerod, and has been presented to the British 
Museum, as a contribution from the society towards the "British Boom." 
—Dr. Ormerod, D.C.L., F.B.S. 

A bronze lar, of excellent workmanship, found in ploughing near 
Bath. It has been considered as a representation of Trajan, but it 
appears to be one of the genii, sometimes termed camilli ; one hand 
upraised (the arm now lost) probably held a rhyton, and in the other 
was a patera. This figure wears laurel around the head, and a short 
tunic, similar to the lares represented in Montf., torn. 1, pi. 202 ; Rich, 
Companion to Latin Diet. p. 369. Also a bronze lar, found in Mon- 
mouth-street, Bath; a piece of bone, scored with the word APRILIS, 




which occurs as the name of a Boman potter, on mortaria found in 
England. It was discovered near Somerton, in King's Sedgemoor. 
— Mr. W. Stradling. 

Sculptured tablet, in low relief, found with Boman remains at Wellow, 
Somerset, and presented to the Institute by the Bev. Charles Paul, 



lxvi 

vicar of that place. Eepresented in Archaeol. Journ. vol. iv. p. 355. 
— The Archaeological Institute. 

Fourteen portions of the tesselated pavement discovered at Newton 
St. Loe, near Bath, during the construction of the railway. — The Direct- 
ors of the Great Western Railivay. 

A collection of Romano-British relics, from the museum of the late 
Eev. John Skinner, and discovered in the neighbourhood of Camerton, 
near Bath ; comprising fibulae, tweezers, styli, finger rings, ornaments, 
of which some are enamelled ; and various other objects of bronze and 
iron, pottery, &c, selected from the large assemblage of antiquities found 
at Camerton, bequeathed to the Bristol Institution by Mr. Skinner.* — 
The Bristol Philosophical Institution. 

Remains found at, or near, Bitton, Gloucestershire, tending to prove 
Roman occupation there. Portions of urns, from the churchyard and 
vicarage garden, the Manor Farm, from West Hanham, near the Castle, 
and from Granham Rocks, both in Bitton parish ; fragment of Roman 
brick, found worked up in the wall of the church ; portion of tesselated 
pavement, discovered in the churchyard ; also, a quern, supposed to be 
Roman ; the pair of stones were found together in a field near Derby 
Point, on S. side of Lansdown, and in Bitton parish. The lower stone 
convex, diameter 13^ in., thickness 3 in. ; the upper stone fitting upon 
it, being a flat disc, about 3 in. thick. Fragments of Roman pottery 
have been found at the spot, which was possibly the site of a villa. — The 
Rev. H. T Ellacombe. 

Roman pins and volsellm ; a key appended to a bronze armlet, and a 
fragment of a double-toothed comb of bronze, all found at Southampton. 
— Rev. John Austen. 

Fragments of a bronze chain, or scourge (plumbata), and a bronze 
strigil; found at Sutton Courtney, Berks; Arckeeol. Journal, vol. viii., 
p. 191. — Mr. Greville J. Chester. 

Mass of conglomerate, containing Roman coins, stated to be from the 
collection of the late Rev. J. Skinner. — The Bristol Philosophical 
Institution. 

A collection of Roman coins, selected from a deposit consisting of 
nearly 900 pieces, found in an urn on Leigh Down, Somerset. It was 
remarkable that the urn contained nearly a complete series of the twelve 
Caesars, with other coins generally of much later date. Also, a number 
of clay-moulds, for fabricating Roman coins, found near Taunton, similar 

* In Gent. Mag. 1797, vol. i. p. 252, an where a colony was established. He form- 

abstract will be found of a memoir, by Mr. ed a large collection in that neighbour- 

Skinner, who was rector of Camerton, on hood, including 1800 Roman coins, from 

the claims of that place to be considered Augustus to Honorius. 
the Camalodunum of Dion and Tacitus, 



lxvii 

to those found at Edington, Somerset, in Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, 
and other parts of England. See Camden's Brit. ed. G-ough, vol. i. p. 
71 ; Akerman's Roman Coins, vol. i. pi. 14 ; Durobrivse, by E. T. Artis, 
&c. — Mr. Henry Bush. 

Twenty clay-moulds for casting coins of the Emperors Severus, Cara- 
calla, Greta, &c, found in the turbaries at Edington Bustle, near Bridg- 
water. See proceedings of Somerset Archseol. Soc, Taunton, 1851, 
Papers, p. 58. — Mr. Stradling, Boseville, Bridgwater. 

Roman coins, a key, relics of iron and bronze, found at Kingston 
Deverill, Wilts, near the supposed site of a Roman station ; amongst 
the coins, one of silver, LVCILLA AV OVSTA ; rev. PVDICITIA.— 
Bev. D. M. Clerk. 

A large assemblage of ornaments and relics of bronze, with other 
objects ; fragments of " Samian " ware, and specimens of pottery ; beads 
of glass and coloured vitreous paste*, found in the course of recent ex- 
cavations at Cirencester. Many ornaments, discovered there, are re- 
presented and fully described in the " Remains of Roman Art" at Cori- 
nium, by Prof. Buckman and Mr. Newmarch. — Brofessor BucJcman. 




British. Beitish. 

Blue, white rings. Blue, opaque glass rings. 

Two iron objects, supposed to be lamp holders, for suspending the 
lamps of earthen ware, of the Roman period. Prom the collections of 
the late Rev. J. Skinner, of Camerton. A good example is represented 
in " The Barrow Diggers," pi. 7, p. 87, found at Langton, but described 
as a spur. See also Schmidt's " Antiquites trouvees a Culm," pi, 5. — 
The Bristol Bhilosophical Institution. 

A speculum of bronze, silvered; found at Colchester. — Mr. James 
Yates. 

Representation of a remarkable specimen of Roman pottery, found, 
1851, at Burgh Castle, Garianonum. It is in form like a flask, the 
mouth ornamented with a curious female head. Described and figured 
in Norfolk Archa3ology, vol. iii. p. 415.— Sir John Boileau, Bart. 

A bronze lar, and several small brass coins, part of a hoard of 300 or ■ 

* See Professor Buckman's memoir on British and Roman, Archaeological Journal, 
the chemical composition of these beads, vol. viii. p. 351. 



lxviii 

400 coins found on Charlton Downs, "Wilts. They were deposited in a 
cist, formed with stones, near extensive traces of ancient buildings. — 
Mr. Hay ward, Devizes, 

Small bronze galeated head, found at Eedhill, near Bowood, "Wilts ; 
probably the handle of a knife or other implement. — Mr. C. W. Loscombe, 
Clifton, 

A large collection of facsimiles (full size), representing the Inscrip- 
tion discovered at Caerleon, Isca Silurum, of which many are repre- 
sented in Mr. Lee's "Delineations ofEoman Antiquities at Caerleon," 
and the originals are preserved in the Museum there. — Mr. John 
E. Lee. 

Silver facsimile model of a cylix of dark-coloured ware, found in a 
tumulus near Stonehenge. — Mr. W. Cunnington. 

Cylix of dark-coloured ware, of the Caistor manufacture, ornamented 
with hunting subjects in relief. Found on Blackheath. — Mr. T. Hart. 

A singular relic of bronze, a representation of Minerva, in mezzo- 
rilievo, supposed to be of late Eoman work : the head is covered by a 
helmet, on the breast is the Gorgon's head, in the left hand a spear and 
oval shield, the owl is seen beneath. Dimensions 5 J in. by 2| Found 
on Salisbury Plain, in an enclosed pasturage. — Rev. Edward Wilton. 

Representation of a Mosaic pavement, discovered at Whatley, near 
Frome, Somerset. — Mr. C. S. Clark. 

Rubbing from an inscribed stone found at Bath, and conveyed to 
Exeter by Dr. Musgrave, who fixed it in the wall of his house. It is 
now to be seen in the wall of " Musgrave' s Alley." — Mr. Pitman Jones. 

D. M. 

CAMILLVS 

SATVENALIS CA 

MILLE NATVLE PAT 

RONE MEEENTISSIME 

•FECIT. 



An iron pick-axe, blunt at one end, length 10 in., found with other 
relics in an ancient working at Luxborough, Somerset, opened in course 
of mining operations on the estate of Sir T. B. Lethbridge, Bart. The 
shaft was supposed to have been worked in Eoman times, to which also 
these implements have conjecturally been assigned. Also an object of 
the form and size of a brick, supposed to be artificial fuel, some com- 
position saturated with bituminous matter, and used in smelting ore. 




Bronze Saxon Brooch, found near Warwick. 



lxix 

There is nothing, it must be observed, to prove the "age of these curious 
relics ; and the perfect preservation of certain wooden implements found 
in the same shaft, seems incompatible with the.notion of their Roman 
origin.* — The Somerset Archceological Society. 



ANGLO-SAXON, OB ANTE-NORMAN ANTIQUITIES. 

Iron umbo of a shield, and a large iron spear-head, probably of the 
Anglo-Saxon period, found on the Watling-street-road, in the parish of 
Churchover, Warwickshire, between Rugby and Lutterworth. They 
were presented by Mr. Grimes, in 1826. The discovery took place in 
1823 ; several antiquities from that spot, in the possession of Mr. M. 
Bloxam, are described and figured in Mr. Roach Smith's Coll. Ant. 
vol. i. p. 36. — TJie Bristol Philosophical Institution. 

Five flat ring-brooches of bronze, discovered in Lincolnshire. — Rev. 
Edwin Jarvis. 

Circular brooch of gold, set with garnet-coloured glass, and five 
bosses, supposed to be of ivory. It was found on the breast of a 
skeleton, in Milton Field, near Abingdon, Berks, 1850. It is now in 
the British Museum, with an iron spear-head found at the same time. 
A representation of this brooch is given by Mr. Akerman, Remains of 
Pagan Saxondom, pi. 3. — The President of Trinity College, Oxford. 

A fine cruciform bronze brooch, crystal bead, and other relics, found 
near Warwick (see woodcut). — Rev. W. Staunton. 

A drawing, which represents an inscribed stone existing at Stowford, 
Devon. Length, about 5 ft. Supposed to be of the fifth century, 
according to Mr. Westwood, who proposes to read — GUMGLEL, or 




GUNG-LEL, probably a personal name. — His Grace the Duke of 
Northumberland. 
- Bone skates, found in excavations at Lincoln, similar to those dis- 

* These curious objects are preserved been kindly communicated by the Rev. F. 
in the museum of the Somerset Society, at Warre. 
Taunton. The notice of the discovery has 



Ixx 

covered at Moorfields, London, and at York, They were formed of the 
leg bones of a horse, or other animal, shaved to a smooth surface be- 
neath, and attached to the foot by a peg inserted at one end, and a 
thong through a perforation at the other. See Mr. Eoach Smith's Coll. 
Antiqua, vol. i. p. 167. — Mr. Trollope. 





Bone Skates, from Lincoln. 

A rudely-fashioned comb of bone, described as found with Eoman 
remains, near Badbury Camp, Dorset, length 5iin. Compare a similar 
comb, in the Museum of the Scottish Antiquaries, found in Orkney"; 
Wilson's Prehistoric Annals, p. 424. Also, a good series of specimens 
of "Kimmeridge coal-money," and an amulet, found in Dorset. — Rev. 
John Austen. 



MEDIEVAL ANTIQUITIES, SACKED ORNAMENTS, SPECIMENS OF GOLD- 
SMITHS' WORK, AND PERSONAL ORNAMENTS, &C. 

The crocketed head, pommel, and ferrule of a pastoral staff, of gilt brass, 
date about 1 250. They were described as found about 80 years since, 
in a tomb at Hyde Abbey, Winchester. Probably the same of which 
mention is made by Dr. Milner, Hist, of Winchester, vol. ii. p. 238. — 
Mr. G. Percy Elliott. 

A small golden crown, set with rubies, emeralds, and pearls, probably 
intended to adorn a small image of the Blessed Virgin. Found 1772, 
near the White Tower, London ; figured, Arehrcologia, vol. v. p. 440. — 
Lady Fellows. 

Portion of a beautiful ring-brooch of gold, set with precious stones. 
Found in Ireland. — Lord Talbot de Malahide. 

Inscribed ring-brooch of silver-gilt, found 1838, at Llandough, near 
Cowbridge. — Rev. J. M. Tralierne. 



lxxi 



A small bronze female figure, possibly a saint, holding a book in her 
right hand, fifteenth century. Found at Llandoga, near Tintern, 1842. 
A small bronze figure, of uncertain date — a boy or genius seated on a 
globe, the arms broken. It may be of Eoman work. (Engraved, Gent. 
Mag. vol. lxi. 1, p. 513.) A remarkable chasing in bronze, of large 
dimensions : subject, the " Ecce Homo ;" it was found at Eagland Castle 
about 1800. An ancient money-coffer of iron, ornamented with pierced 
work, in the style of fifteenth century. A large plate of silvered metal, 
representing the entombment of Ehea Silvia, a work apparently of 
Italian art. Three Pilgrim's Shells (of the Eed sea ?) brought from the 
Holy Land, engraved with sacred subjects— the Annunciation, the 
Nativity, and St. Michael. — Mr. J. Moore Paget, Cranmore Sail. 

A remarkable relic of bronze, found on the site of the house of 
Knights Templars, Sandford, near Oxford. It seems to have been the 
lid of a pyx, for the reservation of the Host, and represents the Saviour 
seated on the rainbow. Around is the legend— INTUS QYOD LATET 




ToMICRlfMINE Wi: 



CYXCTO ]\ T OS CEIMIXE LAXET. It has been assigned to the 
eleventh century. — Mr. B. J. Spiers, Oxford. 



lxxii 



The moiety of a mould for casting small metal badges, or signacula, 
bearing representations of the Apostles Peter and Paul. It is formed 
of compact black stone, and was found, as stated, in the Christian Cata- 
combs at Eome. The little rings at the four corners served probably 
to attach the badge to the sleeve or cap of a pilgrim.* The annexed 
woodcut represents a casting from this mould. — Mr. F K. Harford. 




Bronze candlestick, twelfth century. — Mr. Franks. 

Bronze mortar, formed with strong ribs on the outside : it was found 
near Manorbeer Castle, Pembrokeshire. Bronze mortars, exactly 
similar, are stated to be found in the museum of the Duke di Eiscari, 
at Catania. — The Bristol Fhilos Institution. 

A bronze ewer, fifteenth century, found in Eedcliff parish, Bristol. — 
Mr. Fdwin James. 

An ostrich-egg cup, the mounting of silver-gilt ; long preserved by 
the "Whitfeild family, whose arms, arg. a bend plain, between two cotises 
engrailed sa., are engraved under the foot. Menti'on is made of this 
cup in an old writing, cited by Hasted, Hist, of Kent, vol. iv. p. 427, 
as the property of John "Whitfeild, of Canterbury, who died in 1691, 
and was descended from Sir Ealph Whitfeild, serjeant-at-law to 
Charles I. ; also a diminutive " Bellarmine," mounted in silver, another 
family relic, sixteenth century. — Mr. W. P. Fisted, Dovor. 

A silver chalice, found in Lincolnshire ; and an ancient silver pair of 
snuffers, with the upright stand in which they were placed. — Mr. C. 
W. Loscombe. 

A silver box, or pomander case, possibly for containing a pastille or 
preservative from infection, seventeenth century. — Fev. C. F. Manning. 

A tankard of wood, curiously carved with subjects of Scripture history, 
and standing upon three lions. Supposed to be of Norwegian work- 
manship. A description of this ancient drinking- vessel has been pri- 



* See representations of several moulds of this kind, but of an earlier period, 
Ficoroni, Piombi Antiehi, p. 166. 



lxxiii 

vately printed, with plates by W. Hawkes Smith, 4to. 1821. — Miss 
Smith. 

A silver mounted mazer bowl. — Mr. W. Cunnington. 

Covered cup of crystal, mounted in silver-gilt, chased with consider- 
able skill and elegance of design. The following account was given by 
Mr. Quicke : — " This cup came into my possession some years since, 
having been sold by auction at Hill Court, county Gloucester, the 
ancient seat of the Fust family. There are some curious circumstances 
connected with its discovery, as related to me by Dr. Colt, of Trawscoed, 
and the Rev. Mr. Colt, of Hill Church, county Gloucester. About 
twenty-five years since, in pulling down the wall of a room at Hill 
Court, closely adjoining the church of Hill, a large stone coffin was 
found, containing a skeleton entire, which quickly mouldered to dust on 
exposure. With the skeleton were found the cup, two enamels, and a 
silver paten." The church of Hill having belonged to St. Augustine's, 
Bristol, it had been supposed that these relics might have been brought 
from that Abbey for concealment, at the Dissolution, and that the 
crystal vessel had been a chalice. It has not, however, the character 
suitable to such sacred vessel, and the date of its workmanship appears 
to be later than the Reformation. — Also, a miniature portrait by Oliver, 
mounted in gold, enamelled ; and a gold coronation medal of Queen 
Anne. — Mr. Quiche, Bristol. 

A pair of salts, of agate, mounted in silver-gilt, beautifully chased ; 
two cocoa-nuts, carved with subjects of scripture history, and mounted 
in silver-gilt. Date, early 17th century. — Mr. J. C Lewis, St. Pierre. 

Pair of ancient candlesticks of silver, elaborately enriched with orna- 
ment, hammered up. — Mr. Cookson, Clifton. 

A pair of jugs of mottled-brown stoneware, mounted in silver-gilt. — 
Mr. Hilhouse. 

A set of silver Apostle spoons, and three old English tankards, two- 
handled. — Mr. W. Tyson. 

Silver calendar-case, containing a calendar for 1G82 ; an elegant little 
ivory casket, mounted with silver clamps, lock, &c, several medals and 
other objects of interest. — Miss Attwood, Clifton. 

Silver-mounted cocoa-nut cup, bearing the ironical inscription, " Ver- 
nonis ut memorent Britones celebrare salutem, Hunc Anglis Cyathum 
Blassius ipse dedit. Carthagena. 1741." Don Bias de Leso was Ad- 
miral of the Spanish Squadron, when Vernon besieged Carthagena un- 
successfully. The inscription seems to be in derision of the British 
Admiral's vain attempt. — Mr. J. M. Paget. 



f 



lxxiv 

A collection of ancient dials, consisting of the following specimens : — 

1. A boxwood viatorium or pocket horizontal sun-dial, 16th century. 

2. A viatorium, or portable horizontal dial, in a case of gilt metal, en- 
graved with arabesque decorations of flowers, 16th century. 3. Hori- 
zontal dial, made by Nicholas Bugendas, a clockmaker at Augsburg, 
16th century. 4. Inclined, horizontal, and equinoctial dial, close of 
16th century. 5. Inclined and equinoctial dial, 17th century. 6. .Noc- 
turnal or star-dial, and vertical sun-dial, early 17th century. 7. Ivory 
viatorium, and general dial, date 1609. 8. Another, of smaller size. 
9. Silver pocket sun-dial, late 17th century, made at Paris. 10. As- 
tronomical ring-dial, early 18th century. 

Collection of fifty-seven ancient watches made in England, Trance, 
Germany, Holland, and Switzerland, and thus arranged according to 
age and construction. I. Examples from the period of their invention, 
about 1500, to about 1540, being those made previous to the invention 
or general adoption of the fusee. This division exhibited three periods 
of progressive improvement. In the earliest the ^movements were 
entirely of steel ; in the next the plates and pillars were of brass, the 
wheels and pinions of steel ; in the latest, the plates and wheels were 
of brass, the pinions of steel, as at present. II. "Watches from about 
1540 to 1620, all having fusees. During that time watches were made 
of all imaginable sizes and shapes, and the cases were of all forms and 
materials ; the examples exhibited were round, oval, octagonal, and cruci- 
form ; one in form of a shell, another, of a skull ; one, in form of a golden 
egg or acorn, discharged a diminutive wheel-lock pistol at a certain hour. 
The cases of some were of crystal or bloodstone, and ornamented 
with enamel, chased and engraved designs, &c, on gold or silver. 
III. Watches from 1610 to 1675, the period when the pendulum spring 
was invented. These were all round, according to the fashion commenc- 
ing about 1620, and which superseded the more ancient quaint forms. 
Amongst these were some curious astronomical watches, or perpetual 
moving calendars, showing, besides the time, the phases and age of the 
moon, the course of the sun through the signs, days of the month and 
week, &c. The cases were of silver, richly engraved, or of open work, 
some ornamented with subjects beautifully enamelled by Toutin, and 
other artists of his school ; one example was embossed with flowers of 
enamel, and enriched with diamonds. IV. Watches made after the 
invention of the pendulum spring in 1675 to 1720. Some were in 
cases of gold or silver, richly embossed and chased ; some enamelled ; 
others supplied curious examples of the bulky form of watch made at 
that period. — Mr.Octavius Morgan, M. T. 

A beautiful watch, of Spanish workmanship, set with turquoises. — 
Mr. J. Hill. 

Watch of the times of Charles I. — Mr. Bolide Hawkins. 



lxxv 

Mariner's compass, and a calendar, in a case of silver, richly gilt and 
engraved, inscribed, — James Kynvyn fecit, 1593. — Dr. Dalton, Dunkirk 
Souse. 

A wooden rappoir, for grating snnff, thence at first called rappee. It 
is curiously carved, and bears the arms of the Commonwealth and 
initials of Eichard Cromwell, 1660. This is one of the Cromwell relics 
preserved at Hursley Park, Hants. — Sir William Heathcote, Bart. 

A black jack, silver mounted, a quart measure, formerly in the pos- 
session of the late Lord St. Vincent. — Mr. O. W. Loscombe. 

A piece of very curious embroidery, date latter part of the 15th 
century, representing Moses and the burning bush. A christening 
mantle of blue silk, trimmed with silver lace, long preserved by the 
"Whitfeilds, of Canterbury ; and a cambric counterpane, wrought with 
yellow silk, by Anne, wife of John "Whitfeild, who died in 1699. These 
interesting family relics are in most perfect preservation. — Mr. W. P. 
Elsted, Dovor. 

The wedding gloves of a lady of Bristol, two generations ago ; they 
are of thin Spanish leather, embroidered with silk, and fringed with 
silver. — Mr. J. Naish Sanders. 

Embroidered glove, with a fringed cuff; worn by Governor Taunton, 
about 1662. He was the Governor of Portland Castle, Dorset. Pre- 
sented by Mrs. M. Sabine. — TJie Bristol Philosophical Institution. 

A small manual of the Ten Commandments, and Prayers, worked with 
the needle on linen, and bound in a curiously embroidered cover, on 
which, amongst various ornaments, is the posy, — " I am better within 
then with ovt." — Mr. J. C. Lewis, St. Pierre. 

Oval tobacco-box of horn, stated to have belonged to Sir Francis 
Drake, but probably of a later date. On the lid are his arms, with a 
ship, bearing on the sail the date 1577, the year when he set forth on 
his voyage round the globe. At the bottom — John Obrisset fecit. — Mr. 
G. Percy Elliott. 

A round wooden fruit-trencher, ornamented with flowers and inscrip- 
tions, 16th century. (Comp. Arch. Journ. vol. iii. p. 336.) — Mr. H. C. 
Harford. 

A scent-bottle, ornamented with gold filagree, presented by Queen 
Anne to Alexander Pope, and afterwards in the possession of Bishop 
Warburton ; it is now preserved by his representatives. — Dr. Dalton, 
D.C.L., F.S.A. 

Inkstand, formed from the wood of Shakspere's mulberry tree, and 
formerly in the possession of Hannah More, at Barley "Wood. It is 
thus inscribed — 

I kiss'd the shrine where Shakespears ashes lay, 
And bore this relic of the bard away.— H. M. 1796. 

The Bristol Philosophical Institution. 

/2 



lxxvi 



MEDALS AND COINS. 



Silver medal of Charles II., by Botier ; Felicitas Britannia, 29 Maii, 
1660. Sold for 28Z. at Sir F. Eden's sale. Silver medal of Frederick, 
King of Sweden, by the celebrated artist, Hedlinger. — Mr. C. W. Los- 



Coronation medal, of silver, William and Mary. — Mr. Thwaites. 

Coronation medal, of gold, Queen Anne. — Mr. Quiche. 

Three Italian bronze medals, two being of Cardinal Gonsalvi, struck 
in 1824, one by Girometti, the other by Cerrara ; also Pius IX. in the 
first year of his pontificate, by Griust. Cerrara. — Mr. Harford, Blaise 
Castle. 

Medals of Pope Innocent XI., Louis XV., and of the Pretender. — 
Mr. G. Percy Elliott. 

A silver shekel, on one side the Pot of Manna, on the other Aaron's 
rod. See Bayer de Nummis Hebr. p. 171. — Mr Alderman Pountney. 



ENAMELS, CARTINGS IN IVORY, &C. 

Enamelled plate, 12th century, representing the children of Israel 
marking the doors of their houses with the blood of the paschal lamb ; 
the token being here represented in form of the Tau, (T.) An in- 
teresting medallion of Limoges work, with a portrait on each side, that 
on the reverse representing Francois I. It bears the initials L. L. 
(Leonard Limousin), 1539. — Mr. Augustus W. Franks. 

Two plates of copper, originally enamelled ; one, found at Whissonsett, 
Norfolk, represents the Saviour enthroned ; the other, of quatrefoiled 
form, portrays an angel ; it was found at Elmham. — Mr. G. Carthew. 

Enamelled pyx, of the work of Limoges, with conical-shaped lid, 13th 
century. — Bev. C. B. Manning. 

A circular ornament of gilt copper, enamelled, of beautiful design, 
being a scutcheon of the arms of La Biviere (?). Az. crusuly, two fish 
adosses. The shield is surrounded by open work, in which two wyverns 
are introduced in foliage. Diameter, 4^ in. It was found at a ruined 
chapel at Highbridge, Somerset. Date, 14th century. — Mr. Stradling, 
Boseville. 

A pewter charger, or round dish, having on the central boss an ena- 
melled roundel of the arms of James I., and doubtless of his times. — 
The Bristol Philosophical Institution. 

Ivory casket, beautifully sculptured with subjects from ancient tales 
of Bomance. Date, early 14th century. — Mr. Charles Warde, Wester- 
ham. 



lxxvii 

Ivory chess-knight, an interesting example of costume, t. Edward III. 
Both the warrior and the charger are covered with mail. Figured, 
Archaeological Journal, iii. p. 244. — Rev. John Eagles, Clifton. 

Two ivory tablets, 12th century ; the subjects are : the Last Supper, 
and the Agony in the Garden of G-ethsemane. — Byzantine sculptured 
tablet of ivory, 12th century. — Portion of a groupe, the Betrayal of our 
Lord, 15th century. — Mr. M. Rohde Hawkins. 

Sculptured ivory, part of a diptych or cover of a book ; subject, the 
Adoration of the Magi ; found at Broadoak, Cornwall, in pulling down 
the vicarage house. — Mr. H. S. Wasbrough. 

A remarkable massive horn, formed of the tusk of the elephant ; it is 
octagonal, and ornamented with small subjects in low relief, a man 
mounted on horseback, and blowing a horn, a peacock, griffin, &c, and 
a cross patee. It was shown to the Society of Antiquaries in 1808 by 
the Rev. Dr. Cooke, Rector of Tortworth, with the mirror-case (next 
described). Archseologia, vol. xvi. p. 346. This curious horn bears 
some resemblance in character to that of Ulphus, at York Minster. 
— Mr. Henry Bush, Clifton. 

A beautiful mirror-case of ivory, date about 1 300 ; the sculpture 
representing the assault of the Castle of Love. In 1808 it was brought 
to the Society of Antiquaries by S. Lysons, director, and a representa- 
tion is given, Archseologia, vol. xvi. pi. 49. It was then in the posses- 
sion of Richard Haynes, Esq., of Wick. — Mr. Loscombe. 



ARMOUR AND ARMS, &C. 

An iron gauntlet, date about 1400, recently purchased for the Tower 
Armory, a very rare and interesting example. The nails of the fingers 
are marked on the metal, as shown on the effigy of Sir Bernard Brocas, 
1399, Westminster Abbey. Also a massive battle-axe head of steel, the 
blade singularly fashioned with pierced work, representing a lion ram- 
pant. — The Hon. Board of Ordnance. 

A fine sword, with a Toledo blade, inscribed,— TOMAS VINLA EN 
TOLEDO. The mounting of silver, elaborately chased. A habergeon 
of chain mail, a cross-bow, the stock ornamented with ivory, and a 
head-piece, found at Midsomer Norton, Somerset. — Mr. J. Moore JPaget, 
Cranmore Hall. 

A coutel-hache, or coutelas, found as stated, in the North of France, 
about 1760, and supposed from the inscription, ED WARD VS PRINS 
-ANGLIE, repeated on each side of the blade, to have belonged to 
Edward I. or the Black Prince. It bears resemblance to a weapon in 
the Goodrich Court Armory, of the early part of the sixteenth century, 
and this coutelas may have been made for Edward VI. Another, with 
ED WARD VS and a rude representation of a lion (?) on one side of 



lxxviii 

the blade, with PRINS ANGLTE on the other side, was formerly at 
Armethwayt Castle, Cumberland. — Mr. Frederick Harford, 

Two-handed state sword ; a German basket-hilted sword ; a" sword 
with the Stuart hilt, the blade inscribed ANDREA EERARA ; a 
Highland dirk, and a dagger, having a singular transverse perforation 
near the point; two curious guns, one of them the Trdbuco of the 
Spanish contrabandista ; wheel-lock pistol, sixteenth century; several 
spurs ; an iron thumb-screw, and an Indian dagger, furnished with steel 
claws, like the paw of a tiger. — Mr. J. Hill. 

Fragment of chain-mail, found at St. Stephen's, Bristol. — Mr, R, S. 
Pope, 

A fragment of brass chain-mail, from Wood-street, London ; barbed 
arrow-heads and a quarrel-head of iron, with several other medieval 
objects of the same metal. — The Bristol Philosophical Institution. 

A wheel-lock pistol, of remarkably fine workmanship. — Mr. Henry C. 
Harford. 

A pair of Highland fire-lock tacks, which belonged to John, the great 
Duke of Argyll, who died 1743. (Described, Archseol. Journal, vol. viii. 
p. 198.) — Sir John Boileau, Bart. 

A singular glove of buff-leather, formed in scales, from the Bryn-y- 
Pys collection. Described, Archseol. Journal, vol. viii. p. 300. — Mr. 
Hewitt. 




Head of a halbert, found in a deep ditch, called in Somerset "a 
rhine," near Borough Mount, where Goring' s men were routed in the 
civil wars. It is marked W. P. 1625. Also, a gisarme, or variety of 
the forest-bill, found in Somerset. Compare Skelton's Goodrich Court 
Armory, vol. ii. pi. 85. — Mr. Sfradling. 

An iron axe-head, found in the bed of the Shannon at Athlone (com- 
pare one found near Ashdown Park, Berks, figured, Archseol. Journal, 
vii. p. 392) ; and a pair of brass stirrups, from the battle-field of the 



Ixxix 

Borne, 1690, remarkable as eombiniDg a substitute for the ordinary 
spur. Each stirrup has on one side a projecting piece, which carries a 
small rowel of ten points, fixed to revolve horizontally, the whole pro- 
jecting only lin. from the side of the stirrup. — Mr. Brackstone. 

The sword of Nathaniel "Wade, town clerk of Bristol, and major of 
the Train Bands, of that city, in 1688.— Mr. D. Burges, Town Clerk of 
Bristol. 

A spur, unique probably in the elaborate character of the pierced 
work and chasing with which every part is enriched, and specially in- 
teresting as a relic of the memorable fight on Lansdown, near Bath, 
July 5, 1643, in which Sir Bevil Grenville fell ; found on the field of 
thai; engagement. — Mr. Cookso?i, Clifton. 




Unique iron Spur, of the times of the Civil Wars. 
In the possession of Joseph Cookson, Esq. 

The head of an halbard inlaid with gold. — Mr. J. H. Le Keux. 

A hawk-lure, pouch, and hawking glove. — Mr. Evelyn Shirley. 

A rapier, mounted with most elaborate chasings, &c. — A singular 
stiletto, presented to the late Dr. Nott, by the Princess Eliza, sister of 
Napoleon, as the weapon with which her camerilla had killed her courier. 
— Mr. C. W. Losco?nbe, Clifton. 

A G-erman brittling-axe, an implement of the chase, used for cutting 
up the deer. It is curiously engraved ; on one side is seen the stag at 
bay, on the other a gentleman and lady conversing, and the date 1575. 
— Mr. W. J. Bernard Smith. 

An iron mace ; a "curtal-axe," ornamented with inlaid work, supposed 



Ixxx 

to be Milanese ; an ancient spur, found on the field of the skirmish at 
Hampton-road, related by Clarendon, but apparently of earlier date. 
A fine pair of silver spurs and a massive bridle-bit, preserved at Boxwell 
Court, as having been used by Matthew Huntley, captain in Prince 
Rupert's cavalry ; a pair of goad-spurs, from the same place ; a pair of 
short-necked hunting spurs, of the time of Queen Anne, and a pair of 
gauntlets. — Dr. Dalton, D.C.L., JF.S.A., Dunkirk House. 

A collection of ancient keys, of brass and iron, chiefly found in Bris« 
tol, of various periods. — Mr. W. Tyson. 

Another collection of keys, showing the advance of the locksmith's 
skill ; also two ancient iron locks, and two globular padlocks of the same 
metal. — Mr. J ere Hill. 

Ancient lock and key, from the Bishop's Palace, Bristol. — Mr. C. S. 
Clark. 

WOEKS OF AET, DEAWINGS, CASTS, &C. 

Diptych with portraits of Philippe le Bon, Duke of Burgundy, 1419, 
and Isabella, daughter of John I., King of Portugal ; a choice specimen 
of early art, attributed to Van Eyck. Portrait painted in enamel, by 
Zincke ; miniature portraits of Ben Jonson, of Bichard Cromwell, and 
of Charles II. when young, by Cooper. Miniature in oil, a portrait of 
Guido, by Annibal Caracci ; a drawing by Rubens, in red crayons, the 
subject Quintus Curtius ; and a box, decorated with an exquisite paint- 
ing of flowers, by Spaendonck. — Mr. C. W. Loscombe, Clifton. 

Miniature portrait of James I., by Isaac Oliver, and an impression 
of the copy of Rembrandt's etching of the Burgomaster Six, marked B. 
in the lower right-hand corner. — Miss Smith, Clifton. 

Miniature portrait, by Isaac Oliver, of Dr. Donne, Dean of St. Paul's, 
1621 ; purchased at Mr. Harmar's sale. — The Bev. Dr. Bliss. 

Ancient picture, representing the High-street, Bristol, with the High 
Cross, Christ Church, now demolished, and the clock with the " quar- 
ter-boys," now in the possession of G. W. Braikenridge, Esq. ; also the 
Council House, as standing prior to 1704 : a noted mendicant of the 
period, supposed to be about 1690, is seen in the foreground. — Mr. John 
Evans Lunel. 

Drawings, representing sepulchral memorials and architectural details, 
chiefly from Bitton, Gloucestershire. They comprised, the slab, with a 
female head over a cross flory, the memorial of Emmote de Hastinges : 
it was found by the side of that of Robert de Bitton, in Bitton Church, a 
remarkable effigy partly in relief, partly incised. (Archseol. xxxi. p. 267.) 
Fragments of an earlier slab, found worked up in the masonry of Bishop 
Bitton' s chantry, founded 1299. Fragment of an episcopal effigy, found 



lxxxi 

at Bitton. Carving over the centre of the chancel arch, Bitton, con- 
cealed by the modern ceiling : it probably represented our Lord tread- 
ing on the serpent. The head and arm of a colossal rood were also 
found. Part of north doorway, Bitton, ornamented with a curious fret 
on the arch mouldings ; a similar design may be seen at Broadwater and 
Jedburgh. Norman piscina in the chapel of Hanham Abbots, parish of 
Bitton. "Window of the Manerium, near Bitton Church. The Virgin 
and Child, discovered in Langridge Church, near Bath, 1827. Effigy of 
a lady, date circa 1300, found in Langridge Church. Monuments of 
Judge Cradock, alias Newton, and of Sir John Newton, his son, in 
Yatton Church. — Bev. H. T. Mlacombe. 

A valuable collection of drawings, illustrative of the architectural 
antiquities of Bristol and the western counties. The Pocket Book and 
Diary of Stukeley, 1746, in which are entered numerous particulars of 
curious interest to the antiquary. A volume of MS. letters by E. Gale, 
Drake, the historian of York, Douglas, Bishop Gibson, and other anti- 
quaries. — Mr. Britton. 

A drawing representing a curious fragment of a sepulchral effigy, 
found in 1826, near the site of the Dominican convent, Exeter, where 
many persons of noted families in Devon were interred. It is in the 
possession of Mr. Gidley, town clerk. (Archseol. Journ. ix. p. 187. 
See woodcut.) — Mr. Pitman Jones, Exeter. 





Facsimile, on a reduced scale, of an inscription on the west front 
of the tower of Backwell Church, Somerset. The letters are raised, 
— Ih'c. sped' I. Coly'. ( ? Jesus spede John Colyn.) — Mr. James 
Garland, BacJcwell. 

A volume, containing numerous unpublished drawings of ancient 
seals, by Vertue, intended as a supplement to the series of seals en- 
graved in the Vetusta Monumenta, by the Society of Antiquaries. 
It was formerly in Mr. Hamper's library, and subsequently in Mr. 
Pigott's. — Mr. J. G. Nichols. 



lxxxii 

Drawings, representing the cross-legged wooden effigy of Sir John 
Hautville, at Chew Magna, Somerset, said to be of Irish oak : the 
attitude is singular ; he raises his head on his right hand, resting the 
elbow on the ground. Sculpture on a stone pulpit at Newton Nottidge, 
Glamorganshire, representing the Flagellation of our Lord : fifteenth 
century. — Mr. H. $. Washrough. 

Collection of drawings, illustrative of ancient architecture, ecclesi- 
astical and domestic, from examples chiefly in Somersetshire. — Mr. 
Stockdale. 

Two large drawings, representing Salisbury Cathedral, one taken 
from the Palace Garden, the other from the Cloisters. — Mr. Owen 
Carter. 

Drawings, representing painted glass in Martham Church, Norfolk, 
date about 1450, and figures originally there, but removed to the win- 
dows of Mulbarton Church. Mural paintings, found 1851, at Wick- 
hampton Church, St. Christopher, over the north door, and a conse- 
cration cross, one of three then discovered, about fifteen feet apart ; also 
a mural painting on the north wall of the nave, representing " les trois 
vifs et les trois morts ;" date early fifteenth century. Mural painting at 
Hardwick Church, representing St. Christopher. — Mr. Dawson Turner. 

Model of the proposed restoration of Bristol High Cross, to be erected 
at the eastern end of College Green. Drawings, plans, and sections of 
the Norman Gateway, College Green. — Mr. John Norton. 

Drawings of the choir, Bristol Cathedral ; view from the south tran- 
sept ; the Berkeley tomb, in the Lady Chapel ; east end of the Mayor's 
Chapel ; a view of Fairford Church, and seven drawings of sepulchral 
effigies in the cathedral and churches of Bristol. — Mr. O. Bryce, 
Bristol. 

Plan, section, and elevation of the great " Abbots' Barn," at Peter- 
borough. — Mr. G. Hansom, Bristol. 

Collection of drawings, chiefly illustrative of architectural subjects in 
Bristol and the neighbourhood. — Mr. G. Tovey, Bristol. 

Seven casts from carved panels in the museum of the Somerset Ar- 
chaeological Society, found near Yeovil, and supposed to have been re- 
moved from the demolished chapel of Pitney ; date, early sixteenth cen- 
tury. — The Somerset Archaeological Society. 

Cast from corbels supporting the roof of the cloisters, Bristol Cathe- 
dral, and from other details of architectural ornament ; fragments of 
Norman sculpture ; specimens of carved oak ; a curious leaden head of a 
water-pipe, from an ancient structure in Bristol, and an iron "Lewis," 
used in supporting an architrave of stone over two columns in an old 
building in that city. — Mr. B. 8. Pope. 

Fragments of tabernacle work, of alabaster, probably portion of a 
shrine, or altar decorations, found in the wall of a cottage near Bitton 



lxxxiii 

Church, Gloucestershire. Four casts from sculptured corbels in the 
church of Great Sherston, "Wilts ; two supposed to pourtray Edward I. 
and Queen Eleanor. — The Rev. H. T. Ellacombe. 

SEPULCHBAL BEASSES, INSCBIPTIONS, &C. 

Collection of rubbings from sepulchral brasses, existing in churches 
in Bristol and the counties of Gloucester and Somerset. They com- 
prised — From St. Mary Eedcliffe : Sir John Ivyn, Judge of the King's 
Bench, Becorder of Bristol, 1439 ; square plate, a man in armour and 
his two wives, said to be Philip Mede ; John Jay, sheriff of Bristol, and 
his wife ; John Brook, Serjeant-at-Law, 1522. St. John's Church : 
Thomas Eouley, sheriff of Bristol, and his wife, 1478. Temple Church : 
half figure of a civilian, about 1400 ; a priest in a cope, about 1480 ; a 
"palimpsest," on the reverse is part of an older effigy of a lady. 
St. Peter's: figure of a priest, Bobert Loud, 1461. Trinity Alms- 
houses, in the chapel: John Barstaple the founder, and Isabella his 
wife : he died 1411. From Gloucestershire — Dyrham : Morys Bussell, 
1401, and his wife, large and fine effigies : he is in armour (BoutelTs 
Monum. Brasses). Minchin Hampton : John Hampton, 1556, and Elyn 
his wife ; Edward Halyday, 1519, and Margery his wife ; a man and his 
wife, early sixteenth century. Winterbourne : a lady, date about 1380 ; 
close-fitting dress. "Wootton-under-Edge : Sir Thomas de Berkeley, 1477, 
and Margaret, 1392. These fine figures are on an altar-tomb in north 
aisle, and are figured in Hollis' Monum. Effigies. The knight has a 
collar of mermaids. Tate : quadrangular plate, with representations of 
Alexander Staple, 1590, and his two wives. From Somersetshire — 
Axbridge : Boger Harper, merchant, 1493, and Joan. Banwell : a man 
and his wife, date about 1480 ; John Blandon, 1554, and his wife : her 
figure lost ; Cheddar, fine effigy, about 1440, attributed to Sir Thomas 
de Cheddar, Isabella his wife, in widow's dress. Churchill: Ealph 
Jenyns, 1572, in armour, and Jane. Hulton : two brasses of the Payne 
family. Swainswick : Edmund Ford, 1439. Also, drawings representing 
a curious coffin-lid, found in St. Philip's Church, Bristol (see p. 182 in 
this volume), and monuments in St. Mary Eedcliffe Church. — Mr. J. A. 
Clark, Bristol. 

Eubbings from sepulchral brasses, in Somersetshire. — Combe Flory : 
Nicholas Fraunceis, 1526, in armour. Fivehead: a lady in rich cos- 
tume, date about 1550. Hulton : — Payne, date about 1490, in armour ; 
he wears a collar, with a portcullis appended ; Thomas Payne, 1528, and 
Elizabeth ; figures kneeling at desks. Ilminster : "William "Wadham, 
date about 1425, and his mother : he is in armour ; Nicholas "Wadham, 
1609, and Dorothy his wife, founders of "Wadham College. Langridge : 



lxxxiv 

Elizabeth, wife of Eobert Wallche, Esq., 1441, in widow's dress. South 
Petherton : figures of a knight, about 1415, in armour of plate, and his 
wife ; his helm, placed under his head, bears as a crest a bunch of flowers 
within a jewelled coronet. These fine memorials have been attributed 
to the Daubeney family.* Anna, wife of Sir G-iles Daubeney, and 
daughter of Simon Leek, of county Notts, 1442 ; horned head-dress. 
Impressions of brasses from Bristol, Axb ridge, and Cheddar, already 
described. Eubbing from a curious plate, a memorial of the Powder 
Plot, 21 in. by 15£in., preserved in the mansion of Admiral Sir Chet- 
ham Mallett, at Shepton Mallett — " To GrOD, in memory of his great 
deliueraunce from y e unmatcheable powder Treason, 1605." It repre- 
sents the pope and cardinals in council, the parliament house, and the 
vault filled with combustibles, towards which G-uy is seen approaching : 
under his feet is the word PAVX, under his lantern, FAX. Below are 
the verses, Psalm cii. v. 18 ; lxxviii. v. 7, and a scutcheon of these arms, 
— Erm. a canton charged with a crescent, doubtless those of the zealous 
Protestant who caused this singular plate to be engraved, " in perpetuam 
Papistarum infamiam." — The Somersetshire Archceological Society. 

Eubbing from an interesting inscribed slab, at Combe Elory, Somer- 
set, early thirteenth century. The memorial of the spot where was 
deposited the heart of Maud de Merriete, a nun of Canyngton, in the 
same county— -f- LE : CVEE : DAME : MAYD DE : MEEEIETE : 
NONAYNE : DE : CANNYNTUNE. Eubbing from a mural brass 
at Bishop's Lydeard, Somerset, representing Nicholas Grobham, 1585, 
and Eleanore his wife, kneeling at desks. — The Bev. F. Warre. 

Eubbing from an inscribed slab, with a cross-flory, thirteenth century, 
dug up during repairs of the church at Merthyr Mawr, near Bridgend, 
Glamorganshire : + WLADYS : LA : PILE : DANIEL : SIWAE : 
GIT : ICI : DEV : LA : PACE : MEECI : AM'. Wladys was pro- 
bably descended from Sir Eichard Siward, who accompanied Pitzhamon 
in his conquest of Glamorganshire, 1090. Sepulchral brass, at Llan- 
dough, near Cowbridge, in same county — a lady in a flat cushioned head- 
dress, Wenllan Walsche, formerly wife of "Walter Morton : she died 
1407.— Bev. J". M. Traherne. 

Fragment of a sepulchral brass, part of an emaciated figure extended 
on a mat ; it had been converted into a sun-dial, the lines of which 
are engraved on the reverse of the original work. — Mr. W. Tyson. 

" Palimpsest " brass escutcheon, from the tomb of John Mauntell, 
date about 1446, at Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire. It displayed 
the bearing of Heyford — a maunch ; and, when detached from the 
monumental slab, the reverse proved to be engraved with these arms : 

* Called the " Earl and Countess of Bridgwater," in the List of Monum. Brasses. 




Incised Sepulchral Slab in the Chancel of Ashington Church, Somerset . 
Date, about 1300. 



lxxxv 

three fusils in fess, quartering six lioncels, supposed to be those of 
William de Montacute, Earl of Salisbury. —Dr. Mantell. 



000 




If 






Rubbing from the curious effigy of a bishop, engraved on a grave- 
slab in Wells Cathedral, supposed to be the memorial of Bishop Wil- 
liam de Bitton, who died 1274. — Rev. K. T. Ellacombe. 

Subbing from an incised slab in Ashington Church, Somerset, a very 
curious example of costume; date, about 1300. (See woodcut.) — Rev. 
R. JF. Meredith. 



MATEICES AND IMPEESSIONS OF SEALS, SIGNET EINGS, &C 

Impressions from several matrices in the collection of Mr. Stradling, 
comprising the town seal of Stoke Courcy, now called Stogursey, Somer- 
set, found at that place. The device is a castle with a pointed arched 
gate : + SIGILL' . COMMYKE . BYEGENSIYM . DE . STOKES . 
CYBCI. Of circular form, diam. about 2 in. A pointed oval seal, of 
ivory, found at Chedsey, near Bradney, Somerset, where there is a farm 
once belonging to the knights templars, called the Temple Parm ; 
device, the Holy Lamb : * S\ EEIS EICAEDI . DE . BEADEiNIE . : 
fourteenth century. Pointed oval seal, the Pelican in piety, found near 
Bath: + SIMIL' PACT' SYM PEILCON (?), fourteenth century. 
A seal of Henry YIIL, stated to have been found in a sewer at Bristol, 
near the site of the Castle, after the riots in 1831. Seal of Gilbert Berke- 
ley, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1559, deprived in the reign of Elizabeth ; 
he died 1581. The principal device is a very grotesque figure of St. 
Andrew under a kind of canopy. Beneath is an escutcheon of the 
arms of Berkeley, with a rose upon the chevron, for difference : SIGIL- 
LVM . GILLBEBTI . BAECKLEY . BATHON . ET . WELLEN . 
EPI . AD . CAYSAS. Sold at Bridgwater amongst old metal.— .Mr. 
Stradling. 

Seal of Alfonso, Duke of Perrara, Modena, and Eeggio. It bears an 
escutcheon of the arms of Perrara : a representation is given, Gent. 
Mag. vol. lx. 1, p. 218. It is supposed to have been the seal of Alfonso, 
son of Hercules d'Est : he succeeded in 1505. — Mr. J. Moore Paget. 

Gold signet ring, found at Llantwit Major, Glamorganshire, in a 
grave. It bears a merchants' mark. — Rev. J. 31. Tralierne. 



lxxxvi 

Silver matrix, purchased at Watlington, Oxfordshire, with old silver ; 
fourteenth century. It represents the crucifixion, with figures of saints. 
— Mr. JEJ. Guy, Devizes. 

Silver matrix, the Virgin and infant Saviour ; a figure kneeling : ME 
TIBI VIEGO TEAHE TEAHO SVEGE VENI NICHE (? for 
Nicholae) : fourteenth century. — Mr. James. 

Brass matrix, found at East Budham, Norfolk, 1851. The device is a 
peacock: thirteenth century : LE SEEL PASKEE DE TUENAL— 
Rev. C. B. Manning. 

Impressions in gutta percha from leaden bulla}, preserved at Malta 
in the Public Archives, Valetta. They comprise bullae of G-alterius, 
Count of Cesarea, from a document dated 1135 ; "William, patriarch of 
Jerusalem, 1137 ; Eaimund II., Count of Tripoli, 1181 ; Baldwin IV., 
King of Jerusalem, 1182 ; Boemund, Prince of Antioch, 1231 ; and 
Guerino, Grand Master of the knights of St. John, 1233.— Mr. A. 
Milward. 

Leaden bulla of Pope Honorius III., 1216-1227.— Mr. F. K. 
Harford. 

A fine antique intaglio in medieval silver setting, as a privy seal : 
device, a bearded head, possibly of Hercules : + QVI ME POETE SI 
EST LE MVS : stated to have been brought from Ireland, fourteenth 
century. A brass seal, fourteenth century, bearing an escutcheon 
charged with a cross, apparently a merchants' mark : # S' IOH'IS DE 
CAEI . MAECATO . (?) Another brass seal, a lion passant, to left : 
+ SIGNAT SEEMONIS SECEETVM EOEMA LEONIS. 

A brass seal, device an E., surrounded by letters unexplained. Brass 
signet ring, an I. crowned ; found at Tickhill, Yorkshire. A silver 
signet ring, found in St. James' Churchyard, Bristol, in digging the 
foundations for the Hay Market : device, a crowned E. Brass ring, 
fifteenth century, found in Gloucestershire: device, a hart couchant. 
An impression from the fine seal of Eichard, Duke of Gloucester, Lord 
High Admiral, October 12, 1470, afterwards King Eichard III. The 
matrix was purchased by Mr. Hankey, of St. Columb, Cornwall, amongst 
old metal, and in 1782 was the property of Mr. Dennis of Penzance ; 
engraved, Archaeol. vii. pi. 5. A double seal, at one end I. O. with 
a merchants' mark, at the other the same initials united by a true 
lover's knot. A silver seal, probably of German work : on a scutcheon 
is seen the Temptation in Paradise, 1562. A small armorial seal — 
a chevron — a canton ermine, quartering five other coats. — Mr. Jere 
Hill. 

A collection of matrices of seals, including that of Eobert, Prior of 
St. Martin's, Dovor, purchased at the sale of Mr. Thomas' Cabinet; it 
was engraved by Lewis (Dissert, on Seals), and Hasted (Hist, of Kent, 
iv. p. 107), as that of Prior Eobert, 1193, but ib was probably the seal of 



lxxxvii 

another prior of the name, 1345-50 : device, St. Martin and the pilgrim; 
in base, the arms of the priory, a cross between four leopards' faces. 
A small seal bearing a merchants' mark, and at one side a lion's face : 
S' WILL'I WIVIAN (?). Another, with the device of a lion couchant : 
• WAKE ME NO MAN. A pointed oval seal, fifteenth century, being 
that of the hospital of St. Mary Magdalen, Bristol, for lepers, on the west 
side of Eedcliffe Hill, mentioned by "William of Wyrcestre, Itin. pp. 206, 
260. It bears a figure of the saint, holding the alabaster box, and stand- 
ing in a niche : & f fyospetat . marie . magtfaletu . fcristoir . tr . (junta ?) 
fcrttl ... A pointed oval seal, early fourteenth century : the device a 
warrior saint, in banded mail: S' OAVT' . AECHID' TBANSYIQ . I' . 
ECC'A . TVEON. Another, fourteenth century, the Virgin and Child 
above, a tonsured figure, kneeling below: + S' BEBALDI . P'OBIS . 
W. MAEIE . D' . COLLECATON ; engraved, Archa3ologia, xxi. p. 
548. A round seal, same period, a lion and wyvern combatant : -f- S' 
GODEFEOI . D' PLATEAV. A small oval silver matrix, of beau- 
tiful execution, representing St. Nicholas, the children in a tub near 
him ; no inscription : the centre may be screwed out, forming a sepa- 
rate seal or secretum. Also an impression from the chapter seal of 
Dunkeld, representing St. Columba, (Laing, Scottish Seals, No. 1016) : 
+ S' OAPITVLI . DUNKELD' AD CAVSAS ET C'TA NEaOCIA. 
—Mr. Loscombe. 

Brass matrix, pointed oval, found in the vicarage garden, Sompting, 
Sussex ; or, as stated in G-ent. Mag. xcii. pt. 2, p. 306, where a repre- 
sentation of this seal is given, " dug up at Cissbury Hill." It repre- 
sents a tonsured figure kneeling before St. Michael, who stands on the 
dragon and transfixes its jaws with his spear : + S' SIMONIS . BEC- 
TOEIS . ECC'E . DE STEDHAM. Stedham is a parish near Mid- 
hurst, and about twenty miles distant from Sompting. — Rev. S. Blois 
Turner. 

Brass matrix ; the device a cross between four stars : found at Butley 
Priory, Suffolk: S' EICHAET LE COBTELEE: fourteenth century. 
Rev. C. Gaunt. 

Impressions from two small circular seals, one bearing the Holy 
Lamb : S' EVSTACHII. DE. ATS (?) CL'I. : fourteenth century. The 
other represents a tonsured person kneeling before the Virgin: e. 
(? for frater) iehan. danghstet. : fifteeeth century. — Rev. Dr. White, 



Impression of an interesting seal, accompanied by a drawing of the 
curious silver hook and chain to which the matrix is appended. It 
represents St. Stephen, holding in his right hand three stones, the 
symbol of his martyrdom : sigillum. eccl'ie. sc'i. steph'i. bkist'll'. 
It is preserved in the custody of the Incumbent of St. Stephen's parish, 
Bristol. — Mr. W. Tyson. 



lxxxviii 



Brass matrix, the seal of the rural Deanery of Poulet, Somerset; found 
near Winchester, 1849. — Dr. Mantell. 







A collection of remarkable matrices, purchased by the late eminent 
Warwickshire Antiquary, William Staunton, Esq., chiefly from the 
Tyssen collection. They consist of, — 1, the fine Seal of the Prior and 
convent of Hatfield Eegis, Essex, AD. CAVSAS. 2, Seal of Milverton, 
Somerset, the Virgin enthroned, holding the infant Saviour, a work of 
admirable skill: SIGrILL' CAPELL\ B'E : MAEIE. DE. MIL- 
VEETON'. 3, Circular Seal, of Quarr, Isle of Wight: in a richly 
decorated design of tabernacle work, appear the Virgin and infant 
Saviour with St. John the Evangelist (?), a demi figure of an abbot 
beneath, holding a crosier between his upraised hand : S' ABBATIS. 
ET. COVETVS. ABBATHIE. SCE. MAEIE. DE. QVAEAEIA. 
4, Seal of Henry Eraunceys, Master of the Hospital of the Holy 
Trinity, Bridgenorth, founded by Ealph Le Strange, t. Eich. I. Mon. 
Ang. vi. p. 663. It is of circular form, and represents the Supreme 
Being enthroned, holding the crucifix ; fifteenth century: J^. fjenrtoig : 
ffran«j)3 : magteUr : oSpttalfe : sett (?) trtmtatte tfe fcregenorti). 5, Seal 
of the Priory of Holy Cross ; pointed oval ; above is a cross patee fitchee, 
a kneeling figure beneath, probably representng the Prior : # S' PEIO 
E ATVS : SANCTE : CEVCIS. There was an alien Priory of St. Cross, 
in the Isle of Wight, a cell to Tyrone. 6, Seal of the chapel of St. 
James, Bottesford ; pointed oval ; figure of St. James as a pilgrim. 
J^tcjtllu. capelle. sri. $acobt. tu fotlta tfe. 5SotelUsfortI> 7, Circular Seal, 
of Langley Abbey, Norfolk ; coarsely executed. It represents the 
Virgin and Child.— Js> co'nu abb'te : et co'tunt*. b'te m*. tit lantjlep.* 



* See a seal of the Abbot of Langley, of earlier date, Archaeologia, vol. xxv. p. 929. 



lxxxix 

8, Seal of the Hospital of St. Thomas the Martyr, Eastbridge, Canter- 
bury.* The principal device is the Virgin and Child ; beneath is a demi- 
figure of St. Thomas: S' CO'E HOSPITAL' SCI. THO'E MAET' 
SVF ESTB'GGE CANT: pointed oval; possibly a rude copy of an 
earlier seal. 9, An interesting French Seal, that of John, Abbot of 
Bee, in Normandy, called from its founder, Bee Helluin. It is probably 
that of John de Granger, abbot from L334 to 1350. Another John had 
been abbot, 1266 to 1273. This seal represents an abbot, vested in the 
chasuble and holding a crosier: + S\ IOHANIS : ABB' IS : BE': 
MAEIE: BECCI : HELLUINL— Rev. W. Staunton. 

Silver-gilt betrothal ring, found in the burial ground of the ancient 
parish church of Titsey, Surrey, now demolished. It is inscribed, 
-f- W* . na$arm' . xty. (fourteenth century). Also a very beautiful 
gemelle ring, enamelled, set with a ruby coloured stone and a white, 
the hoop being divisible into two pieces, which are still linked together. 
It was the betrothal ring of Sir Thomas Gresham, on his marriage in 
1544 ; and it was long preserved at Weston Hall, Suffolk, with a fine 
full length portrait of Sir Thomas, now at Gresham College. This in- 
teresting ring was presented by John Thruston, Esq., of Weston Hall, 
to Mr. Leveson Gower, whose maternal ancestor, Sir John Gresham, of 
Titsey, was the uncle of Sir Thomas, f — Mr. William Leveson Gower. 

A Jewish betrothal ring of gold, decorated with filagree and enamel. 
Instead of any setting, the head is formed with a steep ridge, like the 
roof of a house, opening on hinges : within is a cavity closed by a lid, 
and probably intended to contain a charm or pastille. On the inner 
side of the hoop are engraved two Hebrew words, signifying good 
fortune. — Lady Fellows. 

Gold signet ring, found at Scole, Norfolk, December, 1825 ; set with 
an intaglio, representing a bearded warrior : the crest on his helmet is 
a lion. Silver-gilt ring, set with an Etruscan scarabseus. Enamelled 
silver ring, set with a medicinal stone, as believed ; date fourteenth 
century. Silver betrothal ring, two hands conjoined ; sixteenth cen- 
tury. — Rev. C. R. Manning. 

Silver ring, found in St. James' Church-yard, Bristol; device, the 
initial E under a crown ; fifteenth century. Brass signet ring, found in 
Gloucestershire : device, a hart lodged ; fifteenth century. Enamelled 
gold ring, from Corunna, set with a turquoise, and inscribed OLIYA, 
1615.— Mr. J. Sill, Clifton. 

* Of this hospital see Mon. Ang. vol. vi. f See Burgon's Life of Gresham, where 

p. 691. The seal is noticed Bibl. Top. a representation of this ring is given, 
vol. i. p. 400. 



xc 



ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS, AUTOGRAPHS, MANUSCRIPTS, &C. 

Certificate or exemplification of the customs of the city of Winchester, 
a remarkable document of the thirteenth century, preserved amongst the 
muniments of "Winchester College. (Since published in the Archaeo- 
logical Journal, by Mr. Smirke, vol. ix. p. 69.) The seal and counter- 
seal of the city are appended. — Rev. TV. H. Gunner. 

A series of ancient Deeds, from 1275 to 1693, comprising an example 
of almost every reign from Edward I. to William III. These documents 
related chiefly to the counties of Chester, Hereford, and Dorset. — Mr. 
A. J. Kncvpp, Clifton. 

The original will of Katharine, Countess of Devon, seventh daughter 
of Edward IV., bearing her signature. She married William Courtenay, 
Earl of Devon, and died November 15, 1527. — Pedigree of the Courtenay 
family, a fine emblazoned roll, drawn out by Sir John Balle, Recorder of 
Exeter, displaced in the times of the Commonwealth. From the Muni- 
ment Chamber, Powderham Castle. — The Viscount Courtenay. 

Original document, grant to the burghers of Chipping Sodbury by 
William Crassus, eldest son of William Crassus, junior, in confirmation 
of the grant by William Crassus, senior, his uncle, of all liberties — " que 
spectant et pertinent ad leges de Britoille," with certain common rights. 
See Rudder's Hist. Glouc. pp. 672, 674.— Mr. H. S. WasbrougTi, Clifton. 

MS. chronicle of Bristol to 1639, known as " Adam's Chronicle." — 
Mr. H. C. Harford. 

MS. Horse, with illuminations in the style of French art, about 1425. 
— The Mirrour of the World, Caxton, 1481. — The King's Concealment 
at Trent, London, 1667.— Mr. J. Moore Paget. 

A volume filled with illuminated initials, and examples of early art, 
fragments of MSS., comprising many of great beauty. — A very curious 
MS. of the Apocalypse, with numerous drawings, slightly tinted with 
colour ; German art, fourteenth century. — A copy of the Biblia Pau- 
perum, and the Dictes and Sayengs of Philosophers, printed by Caxton. 
- — Mr. C. TV. Loscombe. 

Drawing, which represents a curious Norman moulding at Llandaff 
Cathedral, destroyed in the recent restorations. — Impression from an 
unpublished portrait, by Audinet, of Sir Lewis Dyve, the distinguished 
royalist, governor of Sherborn Castle, where he was taken prisoner. 
He died 1668, and was buried at Combe Hay, near Bath. — Rev. J. M. 
Traherne. 

Two forms of prayer, found in the office of the Diocesan Registry ; 
one for the fast day appointed by Charles II. for November 13, 1678 ; 
printed by Barker ; the other is that ordered by Privy Council, January 



XC1 

28, 1688, for his Highness the Prince of Orange (William III.), to be 
used after that for the Eoyal Family. Savoy, E. Jones, 1688. — Mr. 
Charles S. Clark. 

Three ancient deeds, with seals appended — 1. Eelease and quit claim 
by Eichard Stradelyng to John Cottesmore and others, of all his right 
in the manors of Wyke, in parishes of Tatton and Clewer, &c. And 
because his seal was unknown to many, he procured the common seal of 
the town of Taunton to be appended. Both seals in fine condition. 
Date, June 24, 15 Henry VI. 1437. 2. Eelease and quit claim by the 
Lady Joan Bensted, daughter of the late Sir John Thornbury, late wife 
of William G-revyll, senior, and afterwards of Sir Edward Bensted, 
deceased, and mother of Eichard G-revyll, &c, to John Eortescue, Ser- 
jeant-at-law, and others, of her right in the manor and advowson of 
Walton in G-ordano, Somerset. Date, May 27, 19 Henry VI. 1441. 
The impression of her seal is surrounded by a twined rush or stem of 
grass. 3. Grant by John, son and heir of John Whytebred and Alice 
his wife, of Walton in G-ordano, to John Newton, Esq., of a tenement 
called Holeweyesplace, &c, in Walton. The grantor's seal being un- 
known to many, the seal of the Mayor of Bristol, being at that time 
John Burton, is appended. — Mr. W. Salt, F.S.A. 

Autographs of Charles I. and James II., the former being a letter to 
Mr. Henry Morgan, of Herefordshire ; the second an order, signed by 
the king, shortly before his abdication, to kill a brace of bucks in Kings- 
wood Forest. — Mr. H. C. Harford. 

Autograph of Admiral Kempenfeldt. — Mrs. Ellison, Huntspill. 

MS. chronicle of Bristol, comprising collections regarding charities, 
&c, from 1292, and a list of mayors from 1216 to 1722. " E libris 
Edmondi Tucker, Civit. Bristol, Pharmac. A.D. 1704." A copy of the 
third edition of Eowley's Poems, 1778, formerly in Taylor Combe's 
library, with an autograph of Chatterton's, being part of a leaf from 
his copy-book, dated October 26, 1766. MS. diary of John Locke, 
attorney, of Publow, Somerset, father of the eminent philosopher, and 
he appears by a note in this book to have been nearly related to John 
Locke, mayor of Bristol, who refused to open the gates to the king's forces 
in 1651. It contains various legal forms, recipes, and miscellaneous 
entries, amongst which is the muster-roll of " Collonel Sir Eawfe Hopton, 
Knight, his Band of 200 foote soldiers within the Easterne Division and 
Eegiment of the Countie of Somerset." A copy of the History of the 
World, fol., 1614, once in the possession of Elizabeth, Queen of Bohe- 
mia, and left with her baggage on her hasty flight from Prague, in the 
night of November 8, 1620. The attestation of the soldier who gained 
possession of the volume in the citadel of Prague, and restored it to her 



xcn 

son, and other authentications, are inscribed in the book. — Mr. Kers- 
lahe. 

DECORATIVE PAVEMENT-TILES, POTTERY, AND PORCELAIN* 

Mosaic enamelled pavement-tiles, from the Alhambra. — Mr. Philip G. 
Hardwieh. 

Pavement-tile, design raised, from St. Alban's Abbey; tiles from 
Haccombe, Binfield, Chertsey, and the old Manor House, Hammer- 
smith. Enamelled tiles ; one from the Cartuja Convent, near Xeres, in 
Spain ; another from Al Caza, at Seville, sixteenth century. Flemish 
enamelled tile ; and three from the Chateau d'Ecouen, in France, made, 
as stated, for the Constable Anne de Montmorency, by Bernard Palissy. 
—Mr. A. W. Franks. 

Pavement-tile, imperfect, found in Bitton churchyard, and bearing 
the arms of De Vivon, — a label of five points. Hugh de Vivon 
held the manor of Bitton, county of Gloucester, in right of his wife 
Petronilla, daughter of William Putot, sheriff of Gloucester, 1222-28. 
Hugh was second son of Hugh de Vivonia, seneschal of Poictiers, &c. 
He was slain in Wales in 1257. Petronilla married subsequently David 
le Bland. Also a fragment bearing the arms of England. — Bev. H. T. 
JEllaeombe. 

Pour pavement-tiles from Thornbury Castle, forming an escutcheon 
of the arms of England within a garter ; in the angles are introduced 
the Stafford badges, the knot and the wheel, with its nave in flames. — 
Mr. B. S. Pope, Bristol. 

Irish decorative pavement-tile from Malahide Church, county Dub- 
lin, the ornamental pattern sunk into the clay, as on the Irish tiles 
described by Mr. Oldham, in his Memoir on Tiles in St. Patrick's 
Cathedral, &c — Lord Talbot de Malahide. 

Three choice examples of Majolica, one of them by Erancesco Xanto 
of Bovigo ; it bears an escutcheon, arg. a Moor's head, with the turban 
charged with three crosses. On the reverse, 1532. +. x . A. B. in 
Vrbino. Plate, representing the three angels received by Abraham; 
rev. or, on a bend az., a crescent arg., and a comet or. Tres uidit .... 
Adorauit. A second with the same arms, Ottauiano imperatore : the 
Virgin and infant Saviour appear in the skies, accompanied by an angel ; 
five figures beneath, one bearing a large covered vessel. — Mr. Harford, 
Blaise Castle. 

Dish of Erench ware, in the style of Palissy, of end of sixteenth cen- 
tury. Oval dish of English pottery, dated on the back 1664, with the 
name Joseph King, C. W. ; the ornament impressed. (Now in Brit. 



Mus.). A fine specimen of stone ware, the decoration in blue, date 
about 1650 ; and another with initials 0. B. — Mr. James, Bristol, 

A triangular salt, of white ware, resembling the manufacture of Delft, 
but possibly English, the supporters at the three angles being the lion, 
unicorn, and dragon. Another salt with these supporters, and very- 
similar to this, is figured, Gent. Mag. lviii. 1, p. 294. — Mr. W. Tyson. 

A smelling-bottle of fine stone ware, sixteenth century. — Mev. G. M. 



Cup and saucer of fine ruby Venetian glass. — Mr. Cookson, Clifton. 

Rudely-shaped pieces of baked clay — clumps or " hand bricks," formed 
by a squeeze with the hand ; found near Ingoldmells, on the coast of 
Lincolnshire, and supposed to be the traces of an ancient pottery-work. 
Similar objects have been found by Mr. Lukis in the Channel Islands. 
See ArchsDol. Journal, vol. vii. pp. 70, 175. — Mr. Trollope. 




Hand-brick, found in Lincolnshire. 
Height, 4 inches. 

| Specimens of the Bristol manufacture of porcelain. 

A tea service, made about 1774, at Bristol, by Champion, by direction 
of Burke, for presentation to Mrs. Smith, mother of the lady in whose 
possession it is preserved ; and by whose family Burke had been stre- 
nuously supported in contesting the representation of the city. Each 
piece bears the arms of Smith, with those of Pope, of Bristol, on an 
escutcheon. — Mark, a blue cross. Also, a specimen of hiscuit, Bristol 
porcelain, an escutcheon of the same arms, surrounded by a garland of 
flowers. A tripod salt-cellar of the peculiar coppery-glazed ware, sup- 



XC1V 

posed to be an imitation of a Spanish manufacture, made at Bris- 
lington. — Miss Smith, Clifton. 

A figure of Bristol porcelain, of the finest quality, representing a 
Jewess pedlar with her wares. The design is very clever, the propor- 
tion rather too tall. Mrs. Ash, a lady of advanced years, who remembers 
the noted Bristol manufacturer, Champion, had four other figures in her 
possession, of the same character and dimensions. — Mrs. Ash, Stokes 
Croft. 

Eleven specimens of a peculiar ware, considered by some persons to 
have been fabricated near Bristol, in imitation of certain wares im- 
ported from Spain. This curious pottery is of light-red soft paste, 
coated with a yellowish enamel, and decorated with copper lustre, highly 
glazed. The ornaments, fruits, flowers, and combinations of a Mauresque 
character, which is in accordance with the peculiar form of the vessels, 
are rudely designed. To one piece is attached a note, stating that it 
was presented by Mr. Richard Smith, having been obtained from a farm- 
house at Brislington. The supposition that these wares were fabricated 
at that place, deserves to be investigated ; whilst the introduction of 
Spanish wares, and their frequent occurrence at Bristol, might readily 
be accounted for, by the commercial intercourse of that city with the 
traders of southern Europe. — The Bristol Philosophical Institution. 

Specimens of Bristol porcelain, and enamelled ware; also of the 
delicate biscuit ornaments as at present manufactured. A cup of 
enamelled Bristol earthernware, bearing date 1796. — Mr. Alderman 



A large Delft dish, on rev. -r' E., and the date 1733. Some good 

specimens of Worcester porcelain, and a jug, considered to be of Bristol 
manufacture. A basin of oriental porcelain, repaired (probably by an 
artificer named Comlies), thus inscribed, — Comlies, China Burner, Queen 
Street, Bristol, 1786.— Mr. Taylor. 

A " Bellarmine," or greybeard jug, found at a considerable depth in 
Lincolnshire. — Mr. Hopkinson. 

A flask or pilgrim's bottle of grey stone ware, with representations of 
certain reliquaries at the church of St. Cornelius, near Aix-la-Chapelle. 
Examples of Swansea earthen ware, well painted by Young. — Mr. A. 
W. Franks. 

An extraordinary figure of a female, mounted on horseback, formed 
of grey stone ware, with bright blue glazing. Purchased at the sale at 
Hayes Earm, the birthplace of Sir "Walter Balegh. It has been sup- 
posed to represent Queen Elizabeth, as she rode to Tilbury Eort. A 
figure of white porcelaiu, seeming to represent a preacher in his pulpit, 



possibly intended to pourtray one of the Jesuit missionaries to China. 
— Mr. C. W. Loscombe. 

Chinese seal, of white porcelain, being a small cube bearing on the 
under side characters in relief, from which an impression might be 
made with Indian ink or colour. On the cube is a little sitting figure, 
supposed to represent the Chinese monkey. This specimen precisely 
resembles the porcelain seals frequently found in Ireland. See Notices 
of Chinese Seals, by Edmund G-etty. — Bev. G. B. Manning, 

Chinese seals of steatite, of the kind now frequently used in China, 
in place of porcelain seals, to which in their general fashion they bear 
resemblance. In one instance, the base on which the animal is placed, 
is of oval form ; no such porcelain seal, found in Ireland, had been 
noticed by Mr. Getty. There is one with the oval base in the posses- 
sion of the Duke of Northumberland. — Mr. Albert Way. 

A collection of specimens of oriental porcelain, Chinese enamels on 
copper, and a large dish, probably part of a service of porcelain made 
for Edward Colston, memorable for his benefactions to Bristol ; he died 
in 1721 ; it bears his arms — arg. two dolphins embowed, united by a 
shackle sa. Crest, the pelican in piety. — Mr. Taylor, Bristol. 

Three good specimens of Peruvian black ware, described as found at 
Woolsbridge, near Wareham, Dorset. — Bev. John Austen. 

A double gourd-shaped flask for carrying water, a curious specimen 
of coarse glazed ware, from the Eee G-ee Islands. — The Bristol Philo- 
sophical Institution. 



A large globular vessel of white metal, attached to a chain as if for 
convenience of transport, and formed with numerous cavities, carefully 
closed with staples and hasps, apparently for padlocks. Its use and 
origin unknown : by some it has been supposed to be intended to pre- 
serve valuable objects, or possibly to have been used in Eastern lands 
for keeping sherbets and other refreshments cool, by some artificial 
means of refrigeration. — Mr. Bolls, The Hendre, Monmouth. 

Tortoise-shell combs, brought to Bristol from Jamaica with Alexander 
Selkirk, in 1711, by the Duke and Duchess privateers. See Rogers' 
Voyage round the World. — Mr. H. C. Harford. 

A bronze axe, the cutting extremity edged with iron, the other 
perforated, intended, it is supposed, to serve as a pipe. Described as a 
calumet of the American Indians. Erom the Strawberry Hill Collection. 
— Mr. C. TV. Loscombe. 

A snuff-box, from Africa, formed of a shell, wrapped in a piece of 
deer's skin. — Mr. Southcote. 





Common Seal of the Citizens of Bristol. Obverse and Reverse. 
Date, Thirteenth Century. 



MEMOIR 

ON THE 

MUNICIPAL ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY OF BRISTOL ; 

COMPRISING NOTICES OF THE ANCIENT CIVIC OFFICES, THE MUNIMENTS, 
SEALS, AND BEGALIA OF THE COBPOEATION. 

By THOMAS GARRARD, Esq. 

(Head at the Inaugural Meeting in the Guildhall, July 29, 1851.) 



The Mayor and Authorities, duly appreciating the honour 
conferred upon them by the visit of the Archaeological In- 
stitute to this city, and being desirous of promoting the 
object so gratifying to themselves and to their fellow citi- 
zens, have requested that every facility be afforded for the 
examination of those archaeological remains with which this 
city so peculiarly abounds. 

Having been requested to prepare a paper to be read at 
this meeting, I have thought that nothing could be more 
interesting than a brief account of some of the most ancient 
of the civic offices, and a few remarks on the muniments 
belonging to the corporation, which at the close of this 
inaugural meeting the members of the Institute are 
invited to inspect. 

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR OR PREPOSITOR. 

The history of the city informs us that Harding, a Dane, 
or of Danish origin, was the first who held the office of 
chief magistrate, as custos or prepositor, it having been 
conferred upon him by William I. He was a man of great 
wealth, residing in the town, and was succeeded by Robert 
his eldest son, who was appointed by Robert Earl of Glou- 
cester, Lord of Bristol. 

The Hardings were the founders of the noble family of 
the Berkeleys. The office of prepositor continued until 



2 MEMOIR ON THE MUNICIPAL 

Henry III. visited the city in 1216, when he by .charter 
authorised the burgesses to choose from among themselves 
a chief magistrate to be called a mayor, which they have 
invariably done unto the present time ; but previously to 
this charter we have proof of the existence of a mayor prior 
to the year 1 1 00, an honourable memorial of the antiquity 
of the title, whose dignity is so ably sustained by the gen- 
tleman on whom for the sixth time has fallen the mantle 
of its authority, to the credit of himself and to the advan- 
tage and happiness of his fellow citizens. 

The costume of the mayor consists of a rich scarlet robe, 
trimmed or lined with sable, costly embroidered gauntlets, 
and a gold chain ; and, what is singular, it is precisely the 
same in form as is very beautifully depicted in a manu- 
script book which was prepared by one Robert Ricart, a 
distinguished town clerk in the fifteenth century : in civic 
processions he is preceded by the sword-bearer wearing the 
cap of maintenance, and carrying the pearl sword. Many 
distinguished men have filled the office of mayor ; but, 
although it would be tedious to enumerate, it would be 
improper at a meeting of the Archaeological Society to omit 
to mention one, William Canynges, the builder of Redcliff 
Church, " the pride of Bristowe and the Western Land," 
who was six times mayor of Bristol. 

HIGH STEWARD. 

The office of high steward has been invariably filled by 
noblemen holding the highest situations in the government; 
and though entirely of an honorary character, still we find 
it was earnestly sought after by the proud baron and the 
lofty peer, who felt their dignity enhanced by its attain- 
ment. Amongst many distinguished men upon whom the 
office has been conferred, we find the names of the Dukes 
of Somerset and Ormond, the Earls of Essex, Leicester, 
Pembroke, Portland, Berkeley, Lord Chancellor Hardwicke, 
Lord Grenville, and at present the head of the noble family 
of Somerset — the Duke of Beaufort. 

Previous to the appointment of the Earl of Leicester the 
office had been usually filled by one of the Pembroke 
family; and this deviation gave much offence to Lord 
Pembroke, and to such an extent had it reached that the 



ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY OF BRISTOL. 3 

Recorder, Mr. Popham, and the chamberlain, were sent by 
the corporation to Baynard Castle, " in order to pacify 
him" in which it is presumed they were successful. His 
successor, the Earl of Leicester, was waited upon in Lon- 
don by the chamberlain with the appointment under the 
city seal, and which was soon followed by a tun of wine, 
a present from the corporation, being sent to Kenilworth. 
His arms were painted in London by Robert Greenwood at 
a cost of hi. 5<s\, and placed in the Council House ; the 
w T ine cost 14/. ; and on its way one of the Earl's officers 
was wicked enough to extract to the extent of nine bottles, 
which, reaching the ears of the then chamberlain, he had it 
replaced to prevent any reflection being passed upon the 
city. 

The records relate that, accompanied by several of the 
nobility, he visited the city in 1587, and was " princely " 
entertained by the corporation at Alderman Kitchen's resi- 
dence in Small-street, where he sojourned, and that during 
his stay he endeavoured to obtain from the corporation a 
grant of the tolls of St. Thomas'-street Market : in this 
he was not successful ; the disappointment w r as however 
met with a handsome present of wine. He was notwith- 
standing more successful in an application of a different 
nature. 

Alderman Kitchen had provided for his guest a bed of 
no ordinary description, one which the Earl must have 
thoroughly enjoyed, for so gratified was he with the com- 
fort it had afforded him that his secretary intimated his 
Grace would be pleased with its being presented to him. 
The intimation was sufficient to procure for the Earl pos- 
session of the coveted bed ; and in a very short time it was 
seen on the road to Bath whither the Earl had gone, the 
chamberlain and his man each on horseback, the latter 
conducting two more horses bearing not only the bed, but 
marmalade, citron, &c The chamberlain, on his arrival 
with the extraordinary present, was desirous of having an 
interview with his Grace, which he declined. The answer 
conveyed to him was, that his Grace was obliged, and that 
he should style it his Bath bed. He might as well have 
styled it his Bristol bed, for to that city was he indebted 
for it. 

The bed was termed a field-bed, and had a canopy and 

b 2 



4 MEMOIR ON THE MUNICIPAL 

curtains of green, and cost 41. , the hook at its end with a 
staff cost Ad., and the bed cord Ad. 

This was not the only present made to him, they were 
numerous, particularly wine for his fetes at Kenilworth, 
with a promise to pay, which I cannot find was ever rea- 
lized, a very customary thing in those days ; at his death 
Alderman Kitchen was honoured with an invitation to 
attend his funeral, which was accepted. 

His successor, on numerous occasions, received from the 
hands of the corporation very munificent presents ; the 
records speak of William, Earl of Pembroke, receiving, 
when staying at Bath with the Earl of Montgomery and 
other lords, racked canary and the choicest marmalade. 

The Earl of Portland was presented with a basin and 
ewer of silver gilt, w T hich weighed 98 oz. 

The Earl of Pembroke also, with a basin and ewer of silver. 

The Duke of Ormond, with several butts of wine. 

The great Lord Hardwicke, on his appointment to the 
office, said it was a great honour and favour from so opulent 
and loyal a city, and on his retirement his language is 
strongly expressive : " The distinguished mark of respect 
which I have received on all occasions, will render me 
ambitious, on all occasions, in giving proof of my attach- 
ment and zeal for their service." 

In the Council House are to be seen several portraits of 
the high stewards, amongst them more particularly to be 
noticed is one of Philip, Earl of Pembroke, by Vandyke. 

RECORDER. 

The official situation may be traced through our annals 
to a very remote period, and has been filled by men dis- 
tinguished for their profound legal knowledge ; Bristol 
indeed may be justly proud of having selected for such 
office — 

Snigge, Barrington, 

Hyde, Ashburton, 

Atkins, Gibbs, 

Churchill, Gifford, 

North, Lyndhurst, 

Eyre, and 

Foster, Wetherell ; 



ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY OF BRISTOL. 5 

men whose honourable career reflected the highest credit 
upon the corporation. 

The unfortunate Cromwell, Earl of Essex, was at his 
death recorder ; and such was the rapacity of the times, 
that the king who had beheaded him, claimed the salary 
which would have been due to him had he lived to the end 
of the year, and which was paid by the corporation under 
protest by the auditors. 

The services of the recorders were rewarded with a 
princely liberality in early times ; we find a butt of sack 
presented on new year's day, and racked canary, as a token 
of love ; to another, plate, which he said had put him very 
much out of countenance, but it would always put him 
daily in mind of his duty to the city. 

One (who was a great ornament to the Bench), on a 
basin and ewer being presented him, said, " It was the finest 
ever seen, and though it may be thought too fine for me, 
yet when it is known from whence it came, I shall be 
easily pardoned in making use of it;" other instances may 
be adduced. 

The portraits of several of them perished with the Mansion 
House, by the bands of a lawless mob. 

EARLDOM OF BRISTOL. 

This title was created by James L, 1622, and was con- 
ferred by him on the ancient family of Digby, Sir John 
Digby, ambassador to Spain, regarding the proposed mar- 
riage of Prince Charles, being the first Earl of Bristol. 

TOWN CLERK. 

This office is of considerable antiquity, and has been held 
by men deeply versed in Criminal law. Robert Ricart, 
memorable as the author of the Mayors Calendar, filled the 
office in 1479. 

SHERIFF. 

This office was created by Edward III., 1373, and by 
charter of Henry VII. two were created. 

CHAMBERLAIN. 

This officer was created by Henry VII., 1499, with the 



b MEMOIR ON THE MUNICIPAL 

same powers as the Chamberlain of London, he was to be 
the custos of the royal grants and muniments, receiver of 
the revenues, and to have a seal. The office was abolished 
at the reform in 1831. The curious seal remains, together 
with a very elegant antique mace of silver gilt. 

The interesting churches that adorn this city, rich in the 
architectural glories of the mediaeval age ; the remains of 
stately mansions, whose profuse decorations partake of 
princely magnificence; its almshouses, hospitals, and schools, 
all indicate a period when wealth, arising from a high state of 
commercial prosperity, must have abounded within its walls ; 
a retrospective glance therefore at this commerce may not 
be inapplicable to the subject of this paper. 

Bristol, from the amount of its trade, both foreign and 
domestic, and from the integrity of its merchants, was cha- 
racterised by the early writers as a place distinguished 
above all others (London excepted) for its great commercial 
enterprize. At the siege of Calais in 1347 we find the 
city assisting with several ships, and, whenever a naval force 
was required, she was foremost in furnishing her allotment. 
Canynges, the distinguished founder of Redcliff Church, was 
exclusively engaged in foreign trade, and acquired great 
wealth. Cabot, the discoverer of America and Newfound- 
land, was born in this city, and his spirit of enterprize was 
such that Henry VII. by letters patent granted him and his 
three sons permission to sail for the discovery of unknown 
lands. In the life of Columbus by his son mention is made 
of the enterprize of the Bristol merchants ; and in a charter 
of Henry IV. the king says, that, considering the notable 
services which very many merchants of our town of Bristol 
have done for us and our progenitors in many ways with 
their ships and voyages at their own great charge, he ex- 
empted them from the jurisdiction of the Admiralty. In 
1 527, we find Robert Thorn distinguishing himself; in 1578, 
Anthony Parkhurst seeking the island of Newfoundland; 
and, not to multiply instances, in 1582 Robert Aldworth 
assisting Sir Francis Walsingh am in the western discoveries, 
the merchants subscribing 1000 marks. 

Our merchants, distinguished as they were for their great 
maritime enterprize, were equally renowned for their liberal 
hospitality, which led to their being appropriately styled 



ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY OF BRISTOL. 7 

" merchant princes ;" they applied the wealth they had so 
honourably acquired in raising temples to the honour of 
Him who had protected their frail ventures over the stormy 
main. 

These monuments of piety and gratitude still exist in the 
venerable churches of RedclhT, St. Stephen, and St. John, 
and numerous other evidences tell that in their abundance 
they had not forgot the aged and impotent, the young and 
fatherless, the destitute and forsaken ; and for these good 
deeds, which have shed a lustre on their names and memo- 
ries, they have obtained the respect and admiration of 
posterity. 

HONORARY FREEMEN. 

The city ranks amongst its honorary freemen some of 
the most distinguished men whose names shed a lustre upon 
their country, and whose sense of the honour conferred 
upon them is well expressed in their autograph letters 
which adorn the walls of the Council House. 

Lord Rodney expresses it to be an honour which he should 
ever esteem as a most signal mark of the approbation of 
the second city of the British empire. 

Lord Nelson expressed his gratitude for the high honour, 
and that it would act as a stimulus to his future exer- 
tions, and the pride he felt in having his name enrolled 
among the freemen of the second city in England. 

Lord Collingwood, an honour highly gratifying to his 
feelings, and demanding his most grateful acknow- 
ledgments. 

Lord Howe describes it as an honourable testimony. 

Lord Hood, as a very distinguished and nattering reward. 

Lord Duncan, exceedingly nattered for so great a mark of 
attention from so ancient a city. 

Lord Eldon said he could not express how much he valued 
the honour. 

The Duke of Wellington expressed the high honour which 
had been conferred by so ancient a city, so much dis- 
tinguished for its loyalty. 



8 MEMOIR ON THE MUNICIPAL 

The custos of the muniments is the town clerk ; they may 
be briefly described as consisting of royal grants, official 
seals, ancient civic swords, with plate almost unequalled for 
rarity and beauty of design. 

MUNIMENTS. 

The muniments, of which the citizens may be justly proud, 
consist, with but few exceptions, of a regular series of royal 
grants, from Henry II. (1 164) to the present time, many of 
which are beautifully illuminated and are in excellent pre- 
servation, having been transmitted from generation to 
generation as a sacred deposit, and have been kept with a 
feeling almost amounting to veneration ; and as it has been 
justly remarked by an observant writer, " their preservation 
is worthy of national example. ,, 

SEALS. 

Next in consideration to the muniments are the ancient 
seals, which regarded as works of art have been justly de- 
scribed by the late learned writer and antiquary, Rev. James 
Dallaway, as being curious for the excellence of the en- 
graving at the time of their execution in the thirteenth cen- 
tury, when the first privilege of using a seal was conceded 
to the burgesses of the city by King Edward I. ; but what 
adds so materially to their interest is the circumstance that 
they never have been out of the possession of the corpora- 
tion. They are described by Dallaway, who published an 
interesting account in the Archseologia, Vol. XXL, p. 79. 

No. 1 is circular, of brass, having a diameter 3 inches ; 
the device on one side, is a castle, having a high portal or 
gateway ; on the other, a ship under sail, approaching the 
city gate, above which a figure is seen (see the accompany- 
ing illustrations). This was used jointly for public acts and 
for deeds by individual burgesses ; it continued until the 
year 1569, when the corporation applied to have a new one, 
which was granted. 

No 2 is of brass, the description of which in the original 
grant is as follows : 

" The one part of the seal hath supporters, which be two 
unicorns ; upon one part of the said seal is a crest, which is 
two hands holding out of clouds, having in the one hand a 



ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY OF BRISTOL. 9 

pair of balance and in the other a serpent, the signification 
thereof is as follows : for so much as to the good govern- 
ment of a city appertaineth wisdom and justice, therefore 
the arms issuing out of the clouds signifieth that all good 
gifts come from above; the balance signifieth right judg- 
ment, the serpent signifieth wisdom, the nature of the uni- 
corn is that unto those that be virtuous they will do homage. 
The wreath about the helmet is gold and gules which are 
the colours. This was devised by the king of heralds. The 
superscription on one part is in Latin — Sigillum commune 
Maloris civitatis Bristoilice, anno domini, 1569; the lower part 
of the seal hath no addition save the inscription Nisi Dominus 
custodierit civitatem frustra vigilat qui custodit earn, 1569 ; 
it continued to be used until the passing of the Reform 
Bill, when a new one was substituted. Robert Coke, who 
was the king of arms, prepared this seal, and for setting the 
same in an escutcheon was paid 71., and for drawing the 
same in colours 16,?. 8d." 

No. 3, wdiich is of silver, presents the full bust of a 
king crowned, crossed by a lion passant at the breast, and 
with a castellet on either side, and is known from the 
legend to have been first used by Edward I. ; the legend is 
likewise in the Lombardic character, the tw T o castles which 
are affixed are undoubted evidence that the first Edward is 
meant, because they appear so placed upon his great seal 
with reference to his Queen Elinor of Castile. 

No. 4 is also of silver ; this smaller seal, an impression 
from which is affixed to a deed in 1352, was confined to 
the use of the mayor and sheriff. It is a variation from the 
original already described, the ship has so far entered into 
the water-gate of the castle as to conceal its masts and 
sails ; upon the prow is a large pennon with the arms of 
France and England used by Edward III., and the Gothic 
letter B. behind it. 

No. 5 is of copper and of small dimensions ; within a 
circle covered with Jieur de lys is a leopard's face, open 
mouthed, with the tongue depending, and very deeply en- 
graven, the legend " S. Maior. Stapule Brist." Bristol 
was one of the staple towns in England confirmed by King 
Edward III. in 1354, by whom it was enacted, that in each 
of the towns a seal should be kept by a distinct officer styled 
the mayor of the staple. 



10 MEMOIR ON THE MUNICIPAL 

No. 6, the chamberlain's seal, is coeval with the period 
of Henry VII., when the office was created, and has a legend 
— " Sigil Camer' Bristol." 

No. 7. The material of this seal is lead, and from its ap- 
pearance is of great antiquity. 



The plate consists of some beautiful ancient specimens, 
presented from time to time by individuals who held high 
official situations in the city, or have otherwise been dis- 
tinguished for their philanthropy ; amongst the speci- 
mens will be seen a splended salver and ewer, presented 
to the corporation in the year 1594, by the executors of 
Alderman Kitchen, for the use of the mayor and his suc- 
cessors, to which, arising from its subsequent history, a 
peculiar interest is attached. During the lamentable riots 
which took place in this city in the year 1831, the salver 
was stolen from the Mansion House by one James Ives, 
and on his apprehension it was found he had cut the same 
into 167 pieces; the pieces have been put together and 
riveted on a bed of silver ; and regarded in connection with 
this circumstance, the restored salver now presents a me- 
morial of those dark and troublous days, when anarchy and 
confusion triumphed for a brief space over law, order, and 
property. 

There may be also noticed two elegant flagons, given by 
Mr. John Doddridge, who was recorder and member of 
parliament of the city, in the year 1656, with his arms 
engraved thereon. 

Doddridge was highly esteemed by the corporation, and 
marked respect was invariably shown him on his attending 
to hold the gaol delivery ; at his death he bequeathed by 
will the sum of 40/., to be laid out in plate for the use and 
honour of the city ; his widow, Judith, on the 7th of May, 
1^59, paid the amount to the corporation, who, with an 
additional sum of 5/., purchased these flagons, the weight 
of which is 152 oz. 

There is also a Monteth, with an exceedingly rich 
collar, which was presented by the Society of Merchants, 
in the year 1628, to Captain Pitts, for nobly defending 
his vessel in a voyage from Jamaica to the city, and 



ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY OF BRISTOL. 1 1 

which, to the great credit of the late corporation, was 
purchased by them at a cost amounting to 148/. 16,?., to 
prevent this beautiful testimonial to valour being lost to 
the city ; its weight is 266 oz. 

The grace cup possesses considerable interest, being used 
on all civic occasions. Royalty, as well as the most dis- 
tinguished men of the day, have drank out of it. The 
cup was presented to the corporation by William Birde, 
when on his death bed, in 1599 ; its weight is 30 oz. 



SWORDS. 

There are four swords, the oldest of which is of a most 
elegant form, and is termed the pearl sword, from the 
scabbard, at the period of presentation, being inlaid with 
those jewels. It is however to be regretted that the same 
feeling to which we are indebted for the preservation of our 
records did not extend here ; unfortunately no respect has 
been shown to the pearls, and the scabbard has been entirely 
despoiled of these ornaments. 

It was presented to the corporation in the year 1431, by 
John Willis, the then lord mayor of London, as appears 
by the following inscription on the handle : — 

" John Willis of London, Grocer and Mayor, 
To Bri;-tow gave this sword fair/' 

Over the inscription are his arms, and underneath those of 
the town, with the motto Grace and Mercy. There is a 
circumstance connected with this sword which should not 
be omitted. At the period when the throne was tottering, 
in the reign of the unfortunate Charles, Francis Creswicke, 
his devoted friend, was filling the office of mayor, and his 
attachment to his royal master having reached the ears of 
Fiennes, who was then governor of Bristol, he wrested this 
insignia of office from him, and with his own hands deli- 
vered it to a rebel who was appointed to succeed him. 
Fiennes' insulting bearing on the occasion was truly cha- 
racteristic of his master Cromwell. 

The second sword is denominated the Lent sword, from 
its being used during that season; it has a scriptural quo- 
tation on the scabbard. It was repaired in the year 1592, 



12 MUNICIPAL ANTIQUITIES OF BRISTOL. 

and, to record this, has the following quaint lines engraved 
upon it : — 

" This sword we did repair, 
Thomas Aid worth being Mayor/' 

The scabbard is of black velvet, with rich silver gilt orna- 
ments. 

No. 3 has a similar scabbard, and is also ornamented 
with silver gilt devices ; it was made during the mayoralty 
of John Knight in 1670. On one side it has the king seated 
in his robes holding the sceptre, and on the reverse the 
royal arms with this inscription — " Semel mori." I think it 
was used on the occasion of holding the gaol delivery. 

No. 4 is large and massive, with a scabbard of scarlet, 
highly embellished w T ith ornaments of silver gilt. It was 
purchased by the corporation in the year 1753, at a cost 
amounting to 188/. bs. 3d. ; the weight of the silver is 
201 oz., and the charge per oz. was 17 s. 6d. 

Bristol stands pre-eminently forth for its loyalty. At a 
very remote period its citizens were distinguished for their 
inviolable attachment to the throne and constitution, a 
feeling which still animates the hearts of their descendants 
in the present generation. Within its walls royalty has on 
numerous occasions found an asylum and protection in the 
faithful band of its citizens who gathered round its stand- 
ard ; and in our records we find many instances expressive 
of monarchical affection and regard for the city. The scaf- 
fold has been reddened by the blood of its bravest and best 
citizens, for their devotion to the royal cause ; and when 
the unhappy Charles, in his dire extremity, appealed to 
them for assistance in recovering his throne, the appeal 
was responded to by a gift of 10,000/. (a large amount if 
the relative value of money be taken into consideration), 
and many of its most distinguished citizens further endea- 
voured to assist the king by a sale of their plate. 



13 



ON THE CONNECTION OF BRISTOL WITH THE 
PARTY OF DE MONTFORT. 

By SAMUEL LUCAS, Esq., M. A. 



For an estimate of the political relations of De Montfort, 
it is scarcely necessary to insist here that the predominating 
feature of the reigns of our Plantagenet kings was their 
inveterate struggle with their subject barons. The old 
chronicles reveal the truth in its plenary proportions ; and 
in these our history is invested with a species of dramatic 
unity which is often lost sight of in our modern disqui- 
sitions. It is here we behold with national pride that 
which distinguishes it from other histories, especially from 
that of our European rival. France succumbed at succes- 
sive epochs to the preponderance of her feudal or mo- 
narchical element. She sustained comparatively no com- 
promise between her opposite principles of Nulle terre sans' 
seigneur, and L'etat c'est moi. But in England for centuries 
the conflict was interminable. Hither and thither swayed 
the surges — the strife of the vanquished unsubdued by 
defeat, and of victors who were not wholly victorious. 
And in the old chronicles, where its history lies as yet in 
a great measure uneliminated, its spirit is embodied by 
athletic forms in every posture of an emulous activity ; and 
there we must go to see a vigorous rendering of the ap- 
proved principle of progress by antagonism ; to behold a 
representation sanguinary in its incidents, yet exalted to 
the level of an august spectacle, resembling the frieze of a 
Greek temple by its incessant combat and its continuing 
procession. 

We may naturally have in view the high proportions of 
the epic conflict, though limiting our remarks to one of its 
stages, at the point to which attention is at present directed 
— the commencement on the part of the commons of Eng- 
land to take a share in its political combinations. There 



14 ON THE CONNECTION OF BRISTOL WITH 

was this difference in the position of the party of De Mont- 
fort and that of the old anakims who parleyed at Runny- 
mede, that these the descendants were supported by a 
power from which their sires derived little assistance ; that 
is to say, they were heartily backed by the power they had 
paid court to, that of the English municipalities. I would 
remark, for its general bearing on my subject, that whereas 
the boroughs had been growing in importance, they were 
now disposed to assert their claims to be treated like others 
with increased consideration. They were ready to look 
their king in the face not only with the consciousness of 
newly found strength, but with the knowledge that they 
had not derived it from him. For all his resources they 
had equivalents. They had stone walls to oppose to his 
armies, and bulwarks to repel his engines of war. If 
he practised jousting, they played at the quintain ; and, 
what was more, their municipal franchise was as precious 
to them as the royal prerogative. 

This temper is not to be regarded as the attribute of any- 
one borough apart from the rest ; but, it may be observed, 
that generally, Bristol included, they were disposed to 
regard, from their own point of view, the system of royal 
tallages and exactions. That this was the case with the 
seaports of England, at all events, we have incontestable 
proof. These had increased by the means of their com- 
merce. "What," says a writer of the time* of Henry, 
"were the ships of Tarshish as compared with thy ships, 
England, for their distant portage of most precious mer- 
chandise ? The sea extends around thee like a wall, and 
lofty castles make thy ports like gates. Thou aboundest 
in warriors, clergy, and merchants ; and all nations of tlie 
earth have reason to bless thee whose backs are warmed 
by the fleeces of thy sheep." Here is an obvious allusion 
to the export of which Bristol was a principal emporium. 
And at this time, to verify the words of the writer, we find 
that Bristol was remarkably flourishing ; it was building a 
quay and constructing a bridge ; incorporating its suburbs 
and enlarging its fortifications ; it was natural therefore 
that, sharing so largely in the growing commercial pros- 
perity of the country, it should share the views of the 
trading communities. Its known antecedents prepare us 

* Matth. West. 



THE PARTY OF DE MONTFORT. 15 

for the fact which was legibly seen in succeeding years, that 
Bristol took part with his Majesty's opposition. 

At the same time Bristol was the property of the crown, 
in course of descent from John the Unstable. It had come 
into the hands of Henry as his fee ; and he, in the course 
of his turbulent reign, bestowed it as a marriage portion on 
his son. In the summer of the year 1254 Prince Edward 
was married to Eleanor of Castile; and on that occasion 
King Henry settled the borough of Bristol, with other pos- 
sessions still more important, on the youthful pair. Prince 
Edward was generous to the extent of his opportunities, 
and inclined to enjoy what he had to the utmost. Two 
years after we learn from Smythe, the Berkeley historian, 
he treated his father in a very magnificent style at Bristol. 
" King Henry in July, in the 40th yeare of his reigne, 
stayed fower dayes in Bristoll at the charge of Prince 
Edward, which cost the prince 34/. As. \d. y and seven hogs- 
heads ofwyne." This, it must be admitted, was a hearty 
mode of evincing a proper filial respect, though it could not 
be regarded as considerate to the citizens. At that time 
wheat was sold in Bristol at the monstrous price of 16s. a 
bushel. We learn from an entry in one of its calendars 
that men fought for " carcases of dogs " in our streets. At 
such a time, with carrion in their mouths and congenial 
enmities lurking in their hearts, they were not, I infer, in 
a suitable mood to approve the excessive festivity of the 
king. 

It is probable, that if we possessed an itinerary like that 
which we have for a portion of the reign of King John, we 
should find that they were frequently favoured with the 
king's presence. We have proofs that he was here at the 
commencement of his reign, when the pope's legate, Gualo, 
presided at a council, having previously assisted at his 
coronation at Gloucester. 

" Therefor the Legate Galon, and the Barons of this londe, 
A counselle made at Martinmas at Bristowe, I understonde." 

These are the rhymes of Robert of Gloucester. At all 
events, the connection of the king and his son, in their ca- 
pacity of landlords, with the burgh of Bristol, imposed little 
restraint on the sentiments of the citizens. It appears from 
the chronicle of Matthew of Westminster, that, in 1263, 



16 ON THE CONNECTION OF BRISTOL WITH 

at the breaking out of the troubles, Prince Edward came 
to the Castle of Bristol intending to secure it, and to 
levy contributions with that intention on the town and 
neighbourhood. But the townsmen at heart were support- 
ers of De Montfort, and thus there arose a violent sedition 
between them and the soldiers of Edward. The upshot was, 
that the soldiers were beaten, and the townsmen prepared 
to besiege him in the castle. But by means of the Bishop 
of Worcester who had influence here, as the visitor of the 
principal religious foundations, terms were agreed on, and 
Prince Edward thereupon surrendered the castle, and de- 
parted from the town in great indignation. # 

It is unnecessary here to note the advances which had 
been previously made by De Montfort to the boroughs. 
To mention the parliament of Oxford will sufliciently 
suggest the many bearings of a great controversy, which I 
should feel the greatest reluctance to trifle with, in the 
presence of the Historian of the middle ages. The motives 
of the Earl, to enlist the boroughs, have been amply can- 
vassed, and whencesoever derived their representation in 
his famous parliament, I am safe in saying that their 
presence was a privilege, and was so regarded in their then 
state of fermentation. "There grew up," says Wikes, in 
a passage referred to by the local historian, " a detestable 
custom throughout the entire realm of England, that in 
almost all the cities and boroughs a conspiracy was made 
of Ribalds, who publicly called themselves Bachelors (con- 
juratio Ribaldorum qui se Bachilarios publice proclama- 
bant), and oppressed the chief men of the cities and boroughs 
by their violent attempts." With this evidence, of a novel 
order of things displacing an old, I am only proposing to 
deal as a fact, and that in the shape in which facts were 
most prominent in the middle ages, when the principles 
they involved were finally ripe for decision by the sword. 

I must necessarily refer to the general features of the 
contest, as far as they were displayed in the form of actual 
war. The strength of the Royalists lay in the north, and 
two or three counties of the extreme west. The Barons 
were favoured, in the midland counties, the south east, the 
Cinque Ports, the boroughs generally, and especially in 
London and its immediate neighbourhood. As the great 

* See the more minute particulars in Rishanger's Chronicle, p. 13. 



THE PARTY OF DE MONTFORT. 17 

bell of St. Paul's was sounded the citizens gathered to- 
gether in arms. In their eagerness to begin, as their custom 
was, they first of all vented their anger on the Jews. No 
less than some scores of that hapless race were killed in a 
sort of preliminary battue. It was their well-known fate, 
on all occasions of sudden excitement, to furnish this diver- 
sion ; and in the present instance they were robbed and 
murdered, without reference to their predilections, with, 
extreme impartiality. When the citizens of London had 
whetted their zeal with the ordinary pastime their exu- 
berance subsided, and they set to in earnest at the work of 
preparation. 

As long as was possible Leicester himself remained in the 
capital to concentrate his forces. While the royalists were 
active in opening the war he was collecting his men and 
preparing military engines. When the former marched to 
attack the cinque ports he was forced, as it were, to hazard 
a battle. Previously, however, he impressed on his fol- 
lowers that the cause they espoused was the cause of heaven. 
They were not only going to vindicate liberty, but in re- 
spect of the king's engagements to avenge a perjury. The 
Bishop of Worcester gave absolution and the repute of 
martyrdom to such as should fall, and the earl required 
them to assume the white cross as the badge of enlistment 
in a sacred enterprise. Encouraged in this way they took 
their course southward as if they had been marching to a 
holy war. 

They found King Henry at Lewes, in Sussex ; and here I 
must apologize for referring to the circumstances of a battle 
so well known, but I cannot pass them over, for they have 
incidentally a bearing on my subject. The king, confiding 
in his superior numbers, was not induced to leave the spot 
on which he was encamped at the approach of the enemy. 
With him was a huge and motley gathering — rough-riding 
Borderers under the Percies, ravenous Scots with Bruce and 
Balliol, Bigods and Bohuns, and various contingents, who 
had conjointly a menacing aspect. Leicester had a smaller 
but apparently a finer assortment ; Derby, Despencer, 
Marmion, and Seagrave, with other exemplars of the chi- 
valry of the time, were included among the ranks of his 
partisans. He had also a numerous body of Londoners, 
and with his aggregate force he encamped at "Flexinge, 



18 ON THE CONNECTION OF BRISTOL WITH 

which was a few miles distant from the army of the king. 
He had arrived in the evening. After an attempt at nego- 
tiation on the following morning, the 14th of May, he de- 
scended the hollow to bring the contest to a summary con- 
clusion. On the other side, Prince Edward, remembering 
no doubt their very uncivil treatment of his mother, whom 
they had pelted with rotten eggs— /metis ovis — (it is lite- 
rally so), # commenced with a furious onset on the Lon- 
doners. The latter were broken. They had yet to acquire 
the experience of the Flemings at the battle of Courtrai. 
As yet there had not been a single field where burghers on 
foot withstood charges of cavalry, and accordingly these 
were swept in confusion, with Edward and his horsemen 
hewing them as they fled. They were slaughtered by 
hundreds ; though, on the other hand, Prince Edward paid 
dear for his agreeable exercise. While he, like Prince Ru- 
pert, was charging afar, Simon de Montfort, with his fighting 
sort, came on with an appetite and encountered the king. 
When Edward returned the business was ended. Henry, 
with his brother the King of the Romans, John Corny n, 
Robert Bruce, and other notables, were prisoners in the 
power of Simon de Montfort. There were lying on the 
ground, as a secondary proof of his prowess, the bodies or 
component segments of the bodies of somewhere about five 
or six thousand men. 

Complete as the victory was it was most glorious on this 
account, that after the battle, as far as we may learn, there 
were no victims to party resentment. It was reserved for 
the conquerors in a later contest to wade onward to a White- 
hall from their victory of Marston Moor. On this occasion, 
the king and his family were leniently kept as hostages 
while the treaty was signed called the " Mise of Lewes," by 
which the dispute was referred to arbitration. If any parties 
had exceptional reason to complain it was the Londoners, 
whose competence fell short of their enthusiasm.! It must 
be here acknowledged that it was due to the barons, whom 
it is commonly now the fashion to disparage, that they 
were not trodden down in the dust irrevocably. Here was 

* Wikes. Rishanger merely says "stones verbis expediti non tamen in arte bellica 

and mud," but then he adds she was " enor- periti." — The Worcester Chronicle, quoted 

miter basphemata atque exclamata turpiter in Mr. Halliwell's Notes to Rishanger, p. 

quod non licet recitare." 135. 

f " Cives vero Londiniarum ad bella 



THE PARTY OF DE MOXTFORT. 19 

a signal benefit rendered by the tenants of castles, dis- 
pute it who will. Till the fashion of puffing powder came 
in, this class alone, by their habits of warfare, were able to 
limit the royal excesses. We incurred a debt to them in 
ancient times, and whether or not we have paid it since it is 
handsome to remember a past obligation. 

After the battle, the king wrote a letter to the commander 
of the Castle of Tunbridge, his partisan, commanding him 
to refrain from further hostilities. He ordered him also to 
send away his men, every one to his home, as a pledge of 
obedience. The garrison however considered the question 
from their own point of view, and instead of disbanding, as 
unwilling to despair of the royal cause, they marched across 
country and took refuge at Bristol. Here it appears, from 
Knighton's account, that they occupied the castle which 
Prince Edward had garrisoned. While here they made 
themselves notable for an attempt to release the same 
prince from his prison at Wallingford. The circumstances, 
as they are graphically told by the Chroniclers, I will here 
narrate as of singular interest. 

Thus Robert of Gloucester, reduced into prose, tells us 
that " they who held with the king and were not taken 
prisoners went about here and there wherever they could. 
At last they came to the Castle of Bristowe, as many as 
seven banners, where they kept themselves firmly, viz., Sir 
Warin de Bassingbourne and Sir John de Muchegros, Sir 
Pain de Chause and Sir Robert Tipetot, and many others 
and their wives who did not like this state of things ; and 
there they held themselves on the defence, either to live or 
die, until they should see better times. When the queen 
saw that it was but a weak guard which was kept about 
her son in the Castle of Wallingford, she sent word to 
Bristowe that the knights might with little strength win 
him out of thulke castle. Whereupon the knights took 
counsel, and with 300 horse they went to Wallingford 
well armed on a Friday, just as the sun rose. They 
assaulted the castle in a wonderful manner, against All 
Halow's Church, and took the first ditch and broke 
through the outermost wall and got within. They that 
were within defended the castle well, and shot at them 
with cross bows and other warlike weapons ; and said to 
them without, that unless they would retire, thev would 

c 2 



20 ON THE CONNECTION OF BRISTOL WITH 

with pleasure bind Sir Edward and cast him to them out of 
an engine, (in the original, ' would Sir Edward out to them 
send Withered with a mangonel') and so they might take 
him with them. Sir Edward himself also came upon the 
wall within and spoke to them, and bade them go home 
again, otherwise he should be put to death. When they 
heard this they went away," and returned to Bristol; not, 
as I suspect, without secret rejoicings of the townsmen at 
their discomfiture. 

At length, even Bristol Castle was abandoned. "The 
seven banners that were in the Castle of Bristowe, in hos- 
tility against Sir Simon de Montfort, kept themselves 
firmly safe in that place, and many other bannerets and 
knights. Often did the king send his letters commanding 
them to deliver up the castle to Sir Simon ; but they re- 
fused to obey. At last, letters came from Sir Edward him- 
self, ordering them to surrender the castle and depart ; with 
which order, no longer daring to remain, they in great sor- 
row at length complied and every man went his own way." 
The townsmen — Ribalds, as Wikes would term them — took 
possession of the castle the instant they departed. Then, 
though notoriously favouring De Montfort, they took an 
exceedingly ingenious method of anticipating their prospect 
of punishment by the king. While he was in confinement, 
and consequently unable to act upon his own notions of 
propriety, they sent an embassy with great humility to ask 
his pardon for rebellious practices. At this early date the 
townsmen displayed the subtlety for which they were after- 
wards famous, and in this instance their diplomacy was so 
far rewarded that they gained what they bargained for — a 
nominal forgiveness. 

They were not, as we shall see, much advantaged in the 
end, for before many months had elapsed the contest was 
renewed under different auspices. It is unnecessary here 
to state in detail how the rival ambition of the Earl of 
Gloucester created difficulties for Simon de Montfort; by 
what means the former, in conjunction with the Earl of 
Derby, became favourable to the release of Prince Edward ; 
or how their plan for his escape succeeded. Edward, at 
all events, on a Whitsun Thursday arrived safe at Ludlow, 
and there he was joined by the Earl of Gloucester, and sub- 
sequently by some others. He took Worcester and marched 



THE PARTY OF DE MONTFORT. 21 

to Gloucester, where his progress was delayed by ! ' 300 
young gentlemen " — (Ribalds, as I suppose) — who threw 
themselves into the castle and resolutely maintained it. 
At the end of three weeks, their provisions failing, they were 
compelled to surrender ; and Prince Edward in consequence 
was at perfect liberty to pursue his arrangements. At this 
time Simon de Montfort was at Hereford, together with 
King Henry, whom he kept by his side. With him he had 
but a portion of his army, for the residue was with his son 
in the neighbourhood of Kenilworth. It was the object of 
Edward to prevent their junction, and with this view he 
destroyed the bridges on the Severn. Thereupon De Mont- 
fort removed to Monmouth, and thence to Newport, whence 
he made an attempt to cross the channel by means of his 
friends at Bristol. 

Thus he sent a message requesting them to despatch 
without delay all the ships they could procure, " that he, 
with the king and the army that was with him, might con- 
vey themselves to Bristol on board of the ships. The Earl 
of Gloucester having discovered this intention, placed at 
anchor (appendebat) three private ships which he had, com- 
monly called gallies, at the entrance of the harbour where 
the ships must land ; and with the sailors he put on board 
a very large number of fighting men, who seeing the fleet 
coming from Bristol approaching the coast, attacked them 
very violently in the sea, took and sunk eleven of them, 
and forced the rest to return." It is probable they were 
unarmed, not expecting the encounter. Afterwards "the 
Earl of Gloucester and the Lord Edward, proud of having 
gained so great a victory, raising their standards and setting 
their troops in array, went out to battle to the bridge which 
leads into the town, hoping to enter it with their adver- 
saries, and there to fight." The townsmen were probably 
proud of their bridge, which was then a novelty, having 
been recently erected. Nevertheless, w T hen they found 
they were unable to make good the bridge itself, after 
fighting thereupon, [habito prius congressu in pontis medio,) 
and being violently driven back, they threw fire on that 
part of it which was nearest to the Earl's town, (i. e., the 
Gloucestershire side of the bridge,) and burnt it, and so 
prevented the enemy from entering. Edward, baffled as 
regards Bristol, marched towards Kenilworth, surprised 



22 ON THE CONNECTION OF BRISTOL WITH 

young De Montfort, took his horses and treasure and 
routed his army. 

In the mean time the Countess of Leicester, as we know 
by the account of her private expenses printed for the Rox- 
burghe Club, was making interest with the burgesses of the 
cinque ports, and sending off reinforcements to her son and 
husband. The Earl himself, disappointed of the ships he 
looked for from Bristol, had ascended the left bank of the 
Severn, and crossing it higher up had encamped near Wor- 
cester, and here he was anxiously looking for his son as he 
marched to Evesham on the river Avon. He was there, 
as we know, about the beginning of August, when the 
battle was fought, the popular and striking version of 
which I may be pardoned perhaps for hastily recalling. It 
is said, that one morning, as he looked towards the hills in 
the direction of Kenilworth, he beheld, instead of his son 
whom he waited for, the army of Edward advancing in 
close order. Their overwhelming display, with the martial 
manner of their approach ; or, as some say, the circumstance 
that they had borrowed his son's banners, at once suggested 
a presentiment of his fate. "By the arm of St. James," 
said he, "they come on cleverly. These are my pupils in 
the art of war." Then, remembering his danger, he uttered 
these words, " Lord have mercy on our souls, for I see our 
bodies are Prince Edward's." A few moments longer he 
continued in prayer and then took the sacrament, as his 
custom was, with the grand humility of the heroic times. 
Then he made the best disposition of his forces, and at- 
tempted to open the road to Kenilworth. But failing in 
this, he drew them back and formed them in a circle on the 
summit of a hill. It is said that he invited some of his 
more valued adherents to fly and save themselves for better 
times ; and, when they refused, he drew them up to receive 
the charges of the enemy, whom they several times repulsed 
with a courage indescribable. In one of these charges King 
Henry was unhorsed, and was in danger of being killed 
by some of his own partisans. As he was lying upon the 
ground, slightly wounded — " remediabiliter vulneratus" as 
a chronicler says — one of his men was about to despatch 
him, when he exclaimed, "Hold your hand ; I am Henry of 
Winchester." Prince Edward, who heard him, rescued his 
father, carried him out of the melee, and placed him in 



THE PARTY OF DE MONTFORT. 23 

safety. On the other side, the earl had neither aid nor re- 
spite, for the whole weight of the battle fell upon him, accord- 
ing to William De Nangis, but " as he was an old and shrewd 
warrior he stood the shock like a strong tower." # At 
length his Welsh were broken and dispersed, and the cloud 
of hostile spears grew denser. He is then said to have 
" asked the royalists if they gave quarter, and was told 
that there was no quarter for traitors : his gallant son 
Henry was killed before his eyes ; and at last, overcome 
himself by numbers, he fell, and ' terminated/ says an- 
other chronicler, ' an hereditary prowess, rendered famous 
by his glorious actions.' " 

The closing scene of his life was truly worthy of his great 
name and remarkable career. " Marty Hum" says the 
chronicler, ""pro pattice et regni reparatione et matris ecclesia 
ut credimus, consummavit gloHosum." He was nothing less 
than " a glorious martyr " in the eyes of the writer herein 
quoted, who tells us of his fate in the annals of Waverley. 
" In the same hour in which he fell," says the monk, who 
delights to surround his hero with supernatural signs and 
omens, " there was great thunder and lightning and fitful 
splendours, and the sun was darkened over the entire 
earth." The people, we are told, honoured him as a saint, 
and the first ballad in the English language of any import- 
ance was written in his praise. They complained of the 
church because it would not canonize him ; and as a com- 
pensation they secretly enshrined him in their hearts. 

That he must have possessed some genuine virtues is 
evident, I infer, from his favour f with the multitude. I 
am aware that many have entertained and expressed a less 
favourable estimate of the motives of his public conduct. 
But I may venture, on a subject which can be at the best a 
matter of speculation, to express my opinion that there was 
a worth in the popular plaudits of that day, because they 

* " Sicut gigas fortiter dimicans," is the vernment ought to seek an alliance ; that, 

expression of another writer. amidst the noise and confusion of popular 

f " If it were true that he paid court to complaint, he had learnt the art of de- 

the lower orders to gain allies against the ciphering its often wayward language, and 

nobility, as an ancient chronicle and several of discriminating the clamour of a moment 

modern historians have surmised, it would from demands rooted in the nature and 

only more clearly prove that his ambition circumstances of society." — Introd. to 

was guided by sagacity ; that he saw the Rishanger's Chronicle, p. 40. (Camden 

part of society which was growing in Society.) 
strength, and with which a provident go- 



24 ON THE CONNECTION OF BRISTOL WITH 

were the unsolicited utterance of the shrewd natural sense 
of the community. When they designated a man as worthy 
reverence, it was generally because that man was in reality 
and not in semblance the champion of the people. It was 
thus that they honoured remarkable men whose characters 
at first seem antipopular. It was thus that they gathered 
round the tomb of Becket, the priestly patron of the Saxon 
race. It was thus that they hallowed the death scene of 
De Montfort, the lordly saviour of the liberties of England. 

I suggest once more that he saved the latter, though in 
the process he sacrificed himself. Though he fell at 
Evesham ; though with his death there was bloody havoc 
among his followers, no clemency being shown to knight 
or churl ; yet the war did not terminate with their extinc- 
tion. It was prolonged for a time by a son of the earl, 
another Simon de Montfort, and his friends ; and it was not 
ended for two or three years, till they and the royalists had 
agreed upon terms. On the 18th of November, 1267, just 
two years and three months after the battle of Evesham, 
the parliament at Marlborough met and adopted several 
provisions, which were reckoned among the most valuable 
of De Montfort's laws. Then resistance ceased, and the 
patriots submitted ; and though London had been fined 
25,000 marks, and Bristol 1000/., the discontents were 
appeased. 

If in any other more durable sense the Bristolians were 
affected by their association with De Montfort, at all 
events their connection with his family did not end here ; 
for the fortunes of one of them, his daughter Eleanor, 
although no longer in a party sense, were again conspi- 
cuously identified with Bristol. After the De Montforts 
had retired to the continent, in the year 1275, just ten 
years subsequent to the battle of Evesham, the Countess 
of Leicester, " which remained in France, sent her daughter 
to Wales to marry with Llewellin." What happened is 
thus described by Wikes and the annalist of Waverley : — 
"Almeric de Montfort, with two knights of France and two 
friers preachers, sailing through unfrequented parts of the 
sea, was bringing his sister Alienor, daughter of the late 
Simon de Montfort Earl of Leicester, to Wales, to whom 
she had been affianced during her father's life. As they 
sailed near the port of Bristol, the citizens of that town, 



THE PARTY OF DE MONTFORT. 25 

taking particular notice of the ship, judged that there was 
something unusual in her ; and, taking possession of her 
and all her lading, they brought them against their will 
into the port of Bristol, and presented them, no ignoble 
prize, to their lord the king with triumphant joy." It is 
on this circumstance that a writer in the Archseologia has 
founded his ingenious hypothesis of the origin of the design 
of the ship and castle on one of the Bristol seals. The 
legend which surrounds them 

" Secreti clavis sum portus. Navita navis 
Portam custodit. Portum vigil indice prodit," 

is thus interpreted : — " I am the key of the secret port. 
The pilot steers the helm of the ship. The warder points 
out the port with his forefinger." And this rendering he 
further connects with the story of Eleanor by the following 
suggestion. 

The vessel in which she was taken, he says, was dis- 
covered by pilots at the mouth of the Avon. The vessel 
was becalmed, and the pilots [elves), who were only four 
according to Walsingham, induced the mariners, by pro- 
mises of safety, to enter the harbour of Bristol ; for it was 
not possible that they could have compelled them by actual 
force. The surprise, as it is termed by other chroniclers, 
consisted in the piloting of this ship, carrying possibly the 
marriage portion of the bride, with other splendid fur- 
niture, into the creek or secret port of the castle, instead of 
the open port of the town, and there surrendering the prize 
into the hands of the king himself, who, as it may be in- 
ferred, was at that time keeping his court within his Castle 
of Bristol. 

I have it in my power, I believe, to set at rest this con- 
jectural view, which is based on the assumption that there 
were only four citizens engaged in the capture, for on the 
great roll of the exchequer for the fifth year of Edward I., 
under the account of the issues of the castle and town of 
Bristol, I find the minister of the crown claiming allowance 
as follows: "And to divers men who lately captured on 
the sea Almaric de Montfort and Eleanor his sister ninety 
marks of the king's gift ; to wit, to John Martyn twenty 
marks, to Gilbert Lomeday twenty marks, to Patrick le 
Rede ten marks, to Hervey atte Water fifteen marks, to 



26 ON THE CONNECTION OF BRISTOL WITH 

Roger de Hagenhille ten marks, and to John Skyp ten 
marks, and to Thomas de Panes who carried the news of 
the capture aforesaid to the king one hundred shillings ; 
and to the crews of the four Bristol ships who captured the 
aforesaid Almaric and the others who were with him two 
hundred marks of the king's gift :" and while this disposes 
of the received theory, I may mention further that the cost 
of maintaining the prisoners during the short time they were 
kept in Bristol Castle was 49/. 4s. 5d., and 11. 13s. 6d. was 
spent in iron gyves for the safe custody of the meaner sort 
of them.* 

I will only add, that Edward released Eleanor some two 
or three years later, and that the aforesaid, who, according 
to Matthew of Westminster, was " a very elegant young 
lady/' was married to Llewellin. By the register of the 
Abbey of Kainsham, which the writer quotes, it appears 
that she died soon after her marriage, anticipating her hus- 
band only by a year or two, who w r as slain in an attempt to 
repel his English invaders. Tradition points out the place 
where he fell in a spot which is called Llewellyn's Dingle, 
and where it is said he was found at full length in a field of 
broom, reconnoitring the enemy ; and, receiving his death 
wound, was observed to curse the plant for its fatal treachery 
in neglecting to conceal him. Since that time, says the 
legend, the spot is blasted, and the place where his body 
lay is bare. If I may hazard a conjecture as to the mean- 
ing which is commonly concealed under a popular my thus, 
I should say, that dying, he cursed the Plantagenet, the 
common enemy of himself and the De Montforts. As an 
amusing illustration of the singular facility with which a 
popular tradition is corrupted, a friend of mine visiting the 
neighbourhood recently was shown the spot where Llewellin 
fell, being killed, as his informant averred, with broom- 
sticks ! 

To return, however, from this digression to the contest, 
which is the proper subject of my paper, I wish to observe, 
that in estimating its issue it is necessary to look before and 
after. Reverting only to the preceding reign, we see a 

* A subsequent Pipe Roll shows that for the support of herself and servants. 

Eleanor de Montfort was removed from From Windsor she was sent to Walling- 

Bristol to Windsor Castle, where she re- ford Castle. After this second remove I 

mained forty-two weeks and four days, can discover no further traces of her. 
during that time she received 30s. per week 



THE PARTY OF DE M0XTF0RT. 27 

like array of barons extorting the celebrated charter from 
John. And, as I said, we may regard the war of De Mont- 
fort as but a part of an extended movement, of which it 
partook the general characteristics. 

In estimating the effect of this movement as a whole, it 
is obvious that its influence was profoundly felt at a time 
when the merits of its champion were forgotten. For ten 
reigns — more than two centuries — the power of the crown 
was kept within limits, which checked for the most part 
the savage excesses so common with the earlier Norman 
sovereigns. From Edward the First to Richard the Third 
the domain of public right was increasing The law was 
more potent, the parliaments freer, and the constitution 
became favourable to freedom. We might almost fancy 
the shade of De Montfort was standing beside the humbled 
throne, and whispering in the ear of the king, " Thou art 
mortal." Of this we may be sure, his spirit was living in 
the hearts of the race of barons who followed him. Their 
swords were the secret safeguards of our charters, as the 
Biscayan's dagger concealed in his vest was the guarantee 
of his cherished Fueros. How potent they were we only 
perceive when their edges were blunted in the wars of the 
Roses. Then, when the race was reduced to a remnant, 
the regal power renewed its encroachments, and attained to 
that pitch of Tudor tyranny which bequeathed its legacy 
of odium to the Stuarts. But for the interval its malig- 
nancy waned we are conscious to whom we owe our deli- 
verance. To the turbulent barons — the men who upheld 
the cause of the boroughs while the boroughs were feeble — 
to those, who battling for their own immunities were nobly 
solicitous for the national freedom, we owe the Great 
Charter, with its many confirmations. To them we assign 
the credit of a strife, generous in one sense although im- 
placable. From them we inherit the results of their 
struggle, developed in our liberties and registered in our 
laws. 



28 



ON SOME PUBLIC TRANSACTIONS IN BRISTOL 
IN THE LATTER PART OF THE REIGN OF 
HENRY VI. AND THE EARLIER PORTION OF 
THAT OF EDWARD IV. 

By WILLIAM TYSON, F.S.A. 



By the kindness of my friend, Thomas Garrard, Esq., the 
last of a long line of the Chamberlains of Bristol, and our 
present City Treasurer, I am enabled to submit to the 
members of the Institute a transcript of an ancient docu- 
ment, which I have thought might probably prove not 
altogether unworthy of their notice. 

It appears from this document that soon after Edward 
IV. had assumed the crown of England, a writ of Privy 
Seal was directed to authorities of Bristol, commanding that 
a quantity of gunpowder and other stuff that had been sent 
here by the master of the ordnance of Henry VI., should 
be delivered up to the King's use. The document I am about 
to read consists of instructions for a return to the writ, and 
incidentally refers to the national contests between the 
adherents of the Duke of Somerset and those of the Duke 
of York, the father of Edward IV. ; to the raising and pur- 
veying of an armament of ships to the parts of Wales, by 
the Mayor and Common Council of Bristol, against Jasper, 
Earl of Pembroke ; and principally to the way in which the 
gunpowder had been disposed of. 

The document is without a date : it was subsequent to 
September, 1461, when the King came to Bristol. Richard 
Alberton, one of the three persons to whom the writ was 
directed, was Sheriff of Bristol from 1462 to 1463, and I 
apprehend the date may be fixed in one or the other of 
those years. It was addressed to Thomas Young, the 
then Recorder of Bristol, who is requested to communicate 



ON SOME PUBLIC TRANSACTIONS OF BRISTOL. 29 

its contents to the Lord Chamberlain, for the information 
of the King. The document is in these words : — 

the Th onni SP oud iD r g that Hit * S t0 bee RememDred tnat *» the 

haddefroJharryMaye dayes of the regne of King Harry, that 

Can 1 " 6 * Mair°e WiUm WaS ° f dede > & n0tt ° f ri S ht ' there WaS 

sent to Bristowe v. barels of gonne powdyr, 
iiij. barels of salt petyr, and two barels of Brymstone 
powdyr, to the poys of xxC, lityll more litill lesse, by 
oon John Judde, that tyme Maistre of the same Harries 
ordyn'nce, & putte by hym in the handys, kepinge, and 
govern'nce, of oon harry Maye, March'unte of the seid 
towne of Bristowe, to be sold by hym to the profite & 
advaile of the seid John Judde. After the resceyte of 
whiche xj . barels by the said harry Maye in maner & fourme 
forsaide, the seid p'tensed king, with othr his adherents, 
maliciously p'poseng the deth & distruccion of the ryght 
high & myghti pry nee Due of York, whoos soule god assoile, 
hys sonny s, & other lordes, his wellewillers as muche as in 
theyme was ; and William Canynges then beyng Maire of 
the said towne of Bristowe, vndirstonding wele & knowing 
for certeine the seide harry May to be of like disposicion 
and assistent to Jamys, then being Erie of Wiltshire, by 
Counsaile, comfort, worde, and dede, as moche as in him 
was, by the grete advise and assent of all the Comyn Coun- 
saile of the seid towne, the said xj. barels did arreste & 
theyme putte into the Tresoure Chambyr of the said towne. 

After whiche arreste the said high & myghti prynce Due 
of York, on whoos soule god haue mercy, sent two Comys- 
sons to the said Maire & Comyn Counseile, desiring, in the 
same, that they shuld take vpon theyme the rule, go- 
vern'nce, & defens of the kingys Castell of Bristowe, ayenist 
the purposed malice of the Due of Som'seth, which en- 
tended, as he ryght wele vndirstode, to haue entre & rule 
of the said Castell ; Atte which tyme & in the same Castell 
was spent a p'cell of the said stuff to the some of iiij 
C wight or thereby. 

Itm after that the king our naturall liege lord that nowe 
is sent vnto the said Maire & Comyn Counsaile like co- 
maundement. 

And after that our said naturall liege lorde sent to the 
said Maire & Comyn Counseile to purvey & make an 



30 ON SOME PUBLIC TRANSACTIONS OF BRISTOL. 

Armye of as many shippys as they myght to the p'ties of 
Walis to resiste the malice of Jasper that tyme called Erie 
of Pembroke, and to take or distroye al such shippis as to 
hym were belonging & to other of his affynytes, which said 
Armye was made & sent forthe at the Costys of the said 
Maire & Counseile to the costys and chargis of v C marc, 
& more atte which tyme there was dispended of the said 
stufFe ix C wight litill more litill lesse. 

And after that Armye soo made our said naturall liege 
lord comaunded ayeine the said Maire by his writinge & by 
Jnstructon yeven vnto Thomas Mauncell, oon of the 
Vsshers of his hall, to doo aresrte al shippis, bargys, 
balingers, & pycardys, for a newe armye to be made into 
the said p'ties of Walis, & to purvey for xxiiijti barels of 
gounne powdyr and other stuff for the said Armye ayeinst 
his corny ng into thies Marches. 

At whoos comyng to Bristowe the Resydue of al the 
saide stuff with other stuff, of the said towne, by hys hygh 
comaundement, was deliu'ed to Thilip harneys, Maistre of 
his ordyn'nce, by the handys of Thomas Hore Chamberleyne 
of the said towne of Bristowe, xiij C & more of gonne 
powdyr, in viij kilderkyns, to stuff the said shippis for the 
said Armye, And in this wise, & in noon other wise hit is 
dispended by the kingys hygh auctoritee. 

AH whiche matiers before rehersed considered, We pray 
you Thomas Yonge, to enfourme the lorde Chamberleyne, 
so that by his meanys the kingys highnesse herof may haue 
redy knowlege, yf neede bee. ffor asmoche as hit liked his 
hyghnesse late to sende his Ire of pryvey seale, directed to 
William Canyngis, Richard Albeton, & hary Maye, & to 
eu'y of theyme, streytely comaunding theyme by the same 
to deliu'e al the said stuff to John Wayneflete, Esquier, 
the kyng being not enfourmed of the dispending & delyu'e 
therof, as it is to suppose as ys aforesaid, whiche pryvey 
seale ye haue in your owen govern'nce." 

In the party contests that prevailed during the latter 
part of the reign of Henry VI., and the beginning of that 
of Edward IV. , and the consequent unsettled state of public 
affairs, it must have been a djfficult matter for the various 
municipal authorities to determine the best course to 
pursue ; and the changes in the supreme authority were so 
sudden and contrary to general expectation, as to baffle all 



OX SOME PUBLIC TRANSACTIONS OF BRISTOL. 



3i 



foresight and circumspection in this respect. Bristol was 
certainly in this dilemma on more occasions than one. 
When the public dissatisfaction with the proceedings of 
the Government in 1449 and 1450 assumed a formidable 
appearance, and the Kentish men took up arms under their 
leader Jack Cade, the authorities of Bristol remained firm 
to the interests of the King. Indeed it was but shortly 
preceding that Henry had visited Bristol, where our annals 
state he was royally entertained ; and in 1450, in conse- 
quence no doubt of the rebellion in Kent, William Ca- 
nynges, who was then mayor, ordered a sum of money to 
be expended in repairing and fortifying the town walls. 
The corporation must at that time have been in strait- 
ened circumstances, for the money which was expended in 
entertaining the King, and applied to other public objects 
which were deemed expedient, was forcibly taken from the 
Fraternity of Kalendars. The purposes to which it was 
applied are thus recorded in the Archives of the Corpo- 
ration. 

These ben the deliu'aunces of Nicholas Hille, Richard 
Hatt', Philip Meed, and Thomas Rogers, kepers of the 
keyes of Barstaples cofre, with Inne the Chapell of Saint 
George, in the Yeldhalle, bi comaundemts of Richard 
Forster, Maire, and the co'ne councell of the same, Anno 
xxv to henrici sexti, John Burton, Maire, and ye co'ne 
councell, Anno xxvij h. sexti, and William Canynges, 
Maire, and the co'ne councell, Anno xxviij h. vi ti i of the 
money sumtyme of the Vicarie of Allehalwyn. 
'In pmis to oure soueraine lord^ 
kyng the time of Richard 



Dono 



anno xxv t0 henr sexti in 
money .... 

It' for an hors to oure saide 
soueraine lorde . 
It' sende to London to the Recorder and"! 
John Sherp the young' to be disposed 
in the parliament for the welfare of the 
towne the tyme of John Burton, Anno 
xxvij ...... 

It' for the mat' of Tynby and other neces- 
saries sende to the saide Recorder and 
John Sherp to london 



xxli. 



vj//. xiij,?. iiijr/. 



xx/L 



vli 



32 ON SOME PUBLIC TRANSACTIONS OF BRISTOL. 

It' for repa'cion of the Wallis of Bristoir 
deliu'ded to Nicholas hille and to John 
Stanlegh bi comaundment of William y xvli. 
Canynges, Maire. And all the co'ne | 
councell Anno xxviij henrici sexti J 

Sm to 1 C Marcs. 

The following memorandum also occurs relative to the 
last item in the deliverances I have just read : — 

Mem'dum that the 10 th June 28 th Hen. 6. Will™ Ca- 
nynges Mayor of Bristow with the Sheriff and Common 
Council ordered certain sums of the common money to be 
expended in the amendyng of the Walles of the same towne 
and other fortefieng 8 . They also ordered £40 for the pur- 
chase of " certyn gonnes and other stuffe necessarie for 
defence of the said town," as follows — " In primisxx bote- 
full of Warpestones. Itm alle the Salt petre that may be 
founde in this town. Itm a dos' brasyn gonnes to be made 
Shetyng pelett" as grete as a parys balle or lesse and eu'y 
gonne with iiij Chambres." 

Mr. Dallaway, in The Life and Times of William Ca- 
nynges, observes — " there is a patent, dated 1450, granted 
exclusively to him, in contravention to an existing Act of 
Parliament, to load certain vessels of any burthen with 
lawful merchandise to Iceland and Finland for fish, during 
two years, excepting the merchandise of the staple of 
Calais ; and in the preamble it specifically states that the 
King (Henry 6th) was under obligation to him for great 
personal service. This circumstance makes it evident that 
he was not then a partisan of the Duke of York." 

Circumstances, however, had soon afterwards occurred 
which induced the Magistrates of Bristol to sue to the 
King for a public pardon. And accordingly a Royal Grant 
was obtained, dated the 23rd May, 1452, exempting the 
Mayor, Sheriff, and Commonalty of Bristol from the con- 
sequences of all rebellions, felonies, transgressions, con- 
tempts, forfeitures, and other offendes committed by them 
previous to the date of the said Grant. 

We find, notwithstanding, from the document I first 
read, that on a subsequent occasion of Canynges having 
the governance of the town he swerved from his allegiance 
to the reigning Monarch, and adopted public measures in 



ON SOME PUBLIC TRANSACTIONS OF BRISTOL. 33 

support of the claims of the Duke of York. No date is 
assigned to either of the transactions referred to in the 
document which has induced these remarks, and the time 
of their occurrence can only be inferred from the circum- 
stances related. I infer then that the manifestation of 
Canynges' adherence to the Duke of York, by the seizure of 
the gunpowder, was previous to, but probably only shortly 
before the battle of St. Alban's, in 1455, when the Duke 
of Somerset was slain, and James, Earl of Wiltshire, deserted 
the King. Our annals, under that date, also allude, though 
ambiguously, to a suit instituted by certain Irishmen, 
1 ' among whom one Henry May was chief speaker and 
labourer against the Mayor." Mr. Seyer, in noticing this 
circumstance, remarks — " What was the nature of this 
dispute is uncertain, for no mention is made of it else- 
where." 

Next come the commissions from the Duke of York to 
the Corporation, to take upon themselves the government 
of the King's Castle of Bristowe. The authority assumed 
by this act points to the period of the Duke's Protectorate, 
and probably followed hard thereupon. The subsequent 
like commandment was most likely sent by Edward when 
Earl of Marche. 

The army of ships sent by Bristol against the Earl of 
Pembroke I presume to have been raised just previous to 
the battle of Mortimer's Cross, in Herefordshire, on the 
2nd February, 1460-1. Of the part taken by Bristol on 
this occasion, no notice whatever occurs in any of our 
annals or histories. 

Finally came the command of Edward, after he had 
assumed the crown, to purvey for a new army to be sent 
into Wales, against his coining to Bristol. The King 
arrived here in Sept., 1461, when he caused Sir Baldwin 
Fulford to be beheaded. This event has been commemo- 
rated by Chatterton, in his Bristowe Tragedy. "The 
memory of Sir Baldwin Fulford," says Mr. Seyer, " has 
been snatched from that common grave of oblivion, wherein 
sleep the names of so many thousand heroes who died in 
the fatal war between the houses of York and Lancaster, 
and has been immortalized by the well-known poem, 
entitled The Execution of Sir Charles Bawdin. Whether 
written by Rowley or by Chatterton, it is completely 

D 



34 ON SOME PUBLIC TRANSACTIONS OF BRISTOL. 

Bristowan, and has so much poetical merit that our city 
may well be proud of it." 

Our document proves that after the King was at Bristol, 
the second army for which purveyance was made was sent 
into Wales. Did the King command in that expedition ? 
It would seem that the object of his coming to Bristol was 
in reference to this army, but nothing respecting it occurs 
in any of our histories. 

I may add, in conclusion, that in the 22nd year of 
Edward IV. the Mayor and Common Council of Bristol 
granted a yearly fee or pension of forty shillings to Olyver 
King, the King's Secretary, whilst he continued in the 
office of Secretary, and which, doubtless, was also " for the 
welfare of the town." 



35 



THE ST. NICHOLAS OF THE TOWER 
BY W. TYSON, F.S.A. 



I am desirous of submitting to the members of the Institute 
a few remarks respecting a Bristol ship of considerable no- 
toriety in the fifteenth century, called the Nicholas of the 
Tower. This vessel is mentioned by most of our chroni- 
clers, and will ever be memorable in the annals of England 
from having been the means, in the time of Henry VI., of 
gratifying the popular animosity against the Duke of Suf- 
folk, by the premature and illegal sacrifice of his life. The 
event is best related in the Paston Letters. A correspond- 
ent of John Paston, in 1450, says : — 

" On Monday next after May-day (4th May), there came 
tidings to London that on Thursday before (30th of April) 
the Duke of Suffolk came into the coasts of Kent full near 
Dover, with his two ships and a little spinner, the which 
spinner he sent with certain letters, by certain of his trusted 
men, unto Calais ward, to know how he should be received ; 
and with him met a ship called Nicholas of the Tower, with 
other ships waiting on him, and by them that were in the 
spinner the Master of the Nicholas had knowledge of the 
duke's coming. 

" When he espied the duke's ships he sent forth his boat 
to wete what they were, and the duke himself spoke to 
them, and said he was, by the king's commandment, sent 
to Calais ward, &c, and they said he must speak with their 
master ; and so he, with two or three of his men, went 
forth with them in their boat to the Nicholas, and when 
he came, the master bade him welcome, Traitor, as men 
say. 

" And further, the master desired to wete if the shipmen 
would hold with the duke, and they sent word they would 

d 2 



36 THE ST. NICHOLAS OF THE TOWER. 

not in no wise ; and so he was in the Nicholas till Saturday. 
(2nd May) next following. 

" Some say he wrote much thing to be delivered to the 
king, but that is not verily known. 

" He had his confessor with him, &c, and some say he 
was arraigned in the ship on their manner upon the im- 
peachment, and found guilty, &c. 

" Also he asked the name of the ship, and when he knew 
it he remembered Stacy that said, if he might escape the 
danger of the Tower, he should be safe, and then his heart 
failed him, for he thought he was deceived. 

" And in the sight of all his men he was drawn out of 
the great ship into the boat, and there was an axe and a 
stock, and one of the lewdest * of the ship bade him lay 
down his head and he should be fairly fought with and die 
on a sword, and took a rusty sword and smote off his head 
within half-a-dozen strokes, and took away his gown of 
russet and his doublet of velvet mailed, and laid his body 
on the sands of Dover ; and some say his head was set on 
a pole by it, and his men sit on the land by great circum- 
stance f and pray." 

Hall the chronicler, in narrating the circumstance, says 
the duke " was encountered with a shippe of warre,"apper- 
teining to the Duke of Excester, the constable of the Tower 
of London, called the Nicholas of the Towre." Neither 
Grafton nor Fabyan say anything about the ship belonging 
to the constable of the Tower ; but Hall, who added that 
statement from having no idea that any other tower was 
intended by the adjunct to the ship's name than that of 
London, has had abundance of copiers who generally repeat 
the statement that the ship belonged to the constable of 
the Tower. 

The object of these remarks is not only to claim the 
St. Nicholas of the Tower as a Bristol ship, but also to 
prove that her appropriation to the Tower of London is 
altogether erroneous. 

It is well known that it was at least a considerable time 
subsequent to the death of the Duke of Suffolk before 
England possessed a royal navy. At the period of which 
I am treating, the ships composing her national fleets were 
partly hired from foreigners, and partly supplied by her 

* Namely, the meanest. f Qu., by great numbers? 



THE ST NICHOLAS OF THE TOWER. 37 

own merchants ; among the latter there were bat few- 
vessels of a large size; indeed in general they were but 
single masted. In the year 1442 an ordinance was passed 
by the parliament for the maintenance of a navy, to keep 
the sea from Candlemas to Martinmas, for the defence of 
the kingdom. The fleet was to consist of eight large ships, 
which were to be attended by various other vessels of an 
inferior description. The Commons also point out where 
the large ships were to be had. In the first place they 
name, doubtless as being the principal and most important 
of the whole, "The Nicholas of the Tower, at Bristol." 
Here is a decided recognition of this vessel as a Bristol 
ship. The second ship named by the Commons is "The 
Katherine of the Burtows, at Dartmouth." I am quoting 
from Bree's " Cursory Sketch of the Naval, Military, and 
Civil Establishments, &c, of this Kingdom," collected from 
MSS. in the British Museum ; and I infer that, with respect 
to the ship Katherine, Bree has inaccurately transcribed the 
original MS. The name Burtows, I have no doubt, should 
be Burton's ; and Dartmouth, as the place from whence 
she was to be had, is, I conceive, an erroneous transpo- 
sition, and refers to the next vessel. Indeed, Bree subse- 
quently states that the Katherine, at this very time, was a 
Bristol ship. To show the carelessness that often occurs 
in the transcription of names, I may mention that Barrett, 
the historian of Bristol, in reference to these vessels, has 
inserted the name of Boston instead of Burton. The state- 
ment in the ordinance referred to should, I consider, have 
been read thus : — The Nicholas of the Tower, and the 
Katherine of Burton, at Bristol. # 

I will now proceed to show that the Nicholas of the 
Tower belonged, not to the constable of the Tower of 
London, as has been hitherto supposed, but to John 
Burton, a merchant of Bristol. Among the many objects 
of interest of which our venerable topographer William 
Wyrcestre has preserved the remembrance, he has minutely 

* In a letter addressed by an antiquary hadde — First, at Bristowe, the Nicholas of 

of note to the Gentleman's Magazine, Nov. the Toure and Katerine of Burtons." Harl. 

1851, p. 518, the true reading of the pas- MS. No. 16. The writer, however, contro- 

sage is stated, and proves to be in accord- verts the theory asserted by Mr. Tyson 

ance with Mr. Tvson's conjecture. The that the Nicholas was a Bristol ship ; and 

reading is as follows: " [tern, it is to be his arguments deserve attention. — (,Ed.) 
remein bered where the said shippes shalle be 



38 THE ST. NICHOLAS OF THE TOWER. 

traced the course of the outer or extended wall of defence 
by which the town was surrounded, and which, in the 
fifteenth century, was in a perfect state. The wall was in- 
tersected at certain distances with turrets and towers, and 
some of the latter were of considerable dimensions. After 
it had skirted the Marsh, as the large space of ground on 
which Queen-square stands was then called, and passed 
Marsh-street Gate, it reached the then limit, westward, of 
the Quay fronting the river Frome, now called the Broad 
Quay, where, making aright angle, it proceeded in a north- 
eastern direction towards the head of the Quay. At this 
angle was one of the large towers before alluded to ; and 
a portion of the Quay in the immediate vicinity of that 
tower was the place where Bristol ships of that period 
were built. It is thus noticed by William Wyrcestre : — 
' ' The continuation of the town wall from the Marsh passed 
through the place where ships are built, and where lie trees 
and masts of fir, with anchors and stores ; and, in a great 
space below the said wall, as far as to the first angle of the 
Quay of Bristol, on the west side of the Quay, large ships 
lie in the mud." And in another place he speaks of the 
way commencing from Marsh Gate to the chief part of the 
Quay, at the Round Tower, where Burton's ship was built. 
And again, speaking of the towers along the wall, he says 
there was another tower at the beginning (of the great 
Quay), where John Burton's ship was built. 

Now, William Wyrcestre certainly does not name the 
Nicholas of the Tower as Burton's ship ; but from the 
manner in which he refers to Burton's ship, it is evident 
that it was one of considerable notoriety. It has been 
already remarked that the vessels of that period were 
generally of an inferior description ; but the Nicholas of the 
Tower is described as " a great ship with forestages, and 
carrying 150 men." In both the instances I have quoted 
from William Wyrcestre it may certainly be inferred that 
the ship to which he refers as Burton's ship was one of 
such well-known consequence and celebrity as to need no 
other description ; and this notion of the importance of 
Burton's ship entirely assimilates with that entertained by 
the Commons of England. 

From what I have now adduced, it will probably be con- 
sidered that the following points are established, viz., that 



THE ST. NICHOLAS OF THE TOWER. 39 

the Nicholas of the Tower and the Katherine, two of the 
most important vessels in the English fleet of 1442, were 
Bristol ships ; and that they belonged to John Burton, a 
merchant of Bristol. Both these positions are adopted by 
the Rev. Samuel Sever, a learned writer on the history of 
Bristol. What I consider as peculiar to myself, and I hope I 
have succeeded in satisfying my hearers on this point, is that 
the adjunct " of the Tower" to the name of the St. Nicholas 
had no reference to the Tower of London, as our chroniclers 
supposed, but alluded to one of the principal towers on 
the wall of defence with which Bristol was then surrounded , 
and which tower was in the immediate vicinity of that 
portion of the Quay appropriated to the purposes of ship 
building. If I have succeeded in establishing this point, 
" the Towers of Julius," with ail their momentous asso- 
ciations, may well accord to Bristol the modicum of fame 
appertaining to the possession of the most important, as 
well as the most memorable ship of her time, the St, 
Nicholas of the Tower. 



40 



ON BRITISH AND ROMAN REMAINS ; 

ILLUSTRATING COMMUNICATIONS WITH VENTA SILURUM, 
ANTIENT PASSAGES OP THE BRISTOL CHANNEL, 
AND ANTONINE'S ITER XIV. 

BY GEORGE ORMEROD, D.C.L., F.R.S. 



The object of the following Memoir diners materially from 
the point of discussion in numerous Essays which have 
treated previously of the Roman passages of the estuary of 
the Severn. In former Essays, the compositions of eminent 
antiquaries from the sixteenth century to the present, in- 
genuity has been exhausted in attempting to reduce irre- 
concileable lines of way between Aquae Sulis or Bath and 
Venta Silurum or Caerwent to agreement with the Roman 
military way laid down in Antonine's Itinerary, or with its 
variations in the compilation ascribed by Bertram to 
Richard of Cirencester ; but all, except Sever, were deficient 
in local knowledge as to the Severn itself. Its shoals and 
currents have been overlooked, and lines of transit drawn 
conjecturally, as if the estuary were a still pool. 

In addition, however, to the particular difficulties from 
the violent rapids and rocky bed of this wild river, it is un- 
certain to what extent its passages are included in the 
measures given in the Itinerary, whether the two Stations 
of Antonine are to be transposed or otherwise ; and, in fact, 
whether any dependence can be placed on the numerals 
at all. 

In the following Memoir, with the exception of one 
Section, no adaptation of camps, as Stations, to the uncer- 
tain measures has been attempted. In the other parts of 
it they are noticed as camps only, and the collections re- 
specting probable lines of passage have been combined with 
notes of miscellaneous antiquities in the districts adjacent, 
as well for the illustration of the supposed Military Way it- 



ON BRITISH AND ROMAN REMAINS. 41 

self as of other ancient ways bearing from the E. and N.E. 
on the same point of Caerwent.* 

I. — VENTA SILURUM OR CAERWENT. 

A short notice of Caerwent, the Venta Silurum of An- 
tonine's Itinerary, and of its port, the Ostia Taroci and 
Aber Taroc of the Liber Landavensis, must be prefixed ; 
but for particular notices of this place reference may be 
made to the accounts in Coxe's Monmouthshire and Seyer's 
Bristol, which supersede the inaccurate and defective ones 
in the early volumes of the Archseologia, and Mr. Roach 
Smith's recent survey f may also be read with advantage. 

The Remains of Caerwent are situated nearly three miles 
N.W. of the point where the Troggy (locally called the 
Nedern in this concluding part of its course) falls into the 
Bristol Channel. Its position is in a rich plain surrounded 
with hills or minor elevations on all sides, bounded by a 
limestone ridge to the south, another towards Crick on the 
east with greater elevations beyond it, the Shire Newton 
hills on the north, and the ranges of Penhow and Went- 
wood towards the west. Approaches through the defiles of 
these hills were protected by British fortresses. The camp 
on Hardwick Cliffs guarded the Wye below x Strigul or 
Chepstow ; another camp, south of Penhow, and a third, 
Castell Prin, north of it, protected each side of the pass 
towards Caerleon. Sudbrook camp, w 7 hich seems of British 
origin, although of Roman adoption, covered the inlets of 
the Troggy and of the Murig, between which streams it 
projects into the Severn; and other British works near 
Llanmelin appear on an eminence above the gorge of the 
Troggy, where it emerges from the hills on the north. 

On the site of Caerwent itself, however, no remains 
whatsoever of any previous British works are traceable ; 
and its position, in an open plain on the bank of a stream, 
is as contrary to British principles of fortification as it is 
characteristic of the Roman system. 

Its existing walls are still magnificent and beautiful in 

* The statements have reference to the f Proceedings of the Archaeological As- 

Ordnance Map, a portion of which adapted sociation, Vol. IV. p. 246; see also 

to the localities here described, or the Remarks on Porchester Castle, (Congress 

greater part of them, is given in Archaeo- of the Archaeol. Institute at Winchester), 

logia, Vol. XXI X. p. 19. 



42 ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 

their ruins. The original fosse is still clearly shown on the 
western and northern sides ; but the most perfect part of 
the ramparts is on the south side, where the annexed en- 
graving shows the loftiest part, about twenty-five feet in 
height, near the S.E. angle. There are no vestiges of the 
former central gateway (one of the four mentioned by Le- 
land) on this side, but in it are still observable the three 
bastions which are later additions ; and here also are bond- 
ing courses, formed of red sandstone once imitative of 
brick, but all the courses are now equally grey with lichens. 
In this front also mooring rings for vessels are stated to 
have been fixed, for convenience of vessels in a supposed 
basin or canal on the site of the Troggy or Nedern below. 

No vestiges of such rings are known to have existed, 
and an examination throws equal doubts on the correctness 
of the tradition as to a former canal or basin. 

The Troggy or Nedern, which is generally dry in summer, 
has a course S.E. after emerging from the gorge already 
mentioned, and then flows eastwards in a line which is 
about two hundred yards south of the south wall of Caer- 
went, and parallel with it. The banks here show a section 
of apparently undisturbed " till" consisting of red and 
grey beds of sandy loam, with rolled pebbles at their lower 
part ; and, at the side of the highway leading from Caldecot 
bridge to the eastern gate of Caerwent, these beds are con- 
formably overlaid by gravel, which can be traced onwards 
under the town itself. The total depth of these beds is 
small, as is shown by the wells. No traces whatsoever of 
any canal remain, and from the height of Caerwent above 
the sea level it is scarcely possible that such canal could 
have existed in the Roman period. If such had been made, 
the deep cuttings, which would have been required in such 
case, would have remained, and none can be found 

After passing Caerwent, the Nedern (as the Troggy is 
here popularly called) takes a S.E. direction, for about a 
mile and half, until it reaches Balan Moor, within the ham- 
let of Crick, where it turns southwards, and passes through 
the present marsh, once, traditionally and most probably, 
a marshlike lake, nearly surrounding Caldecot Castle, and 
obviously a great addition to its former strength. It pro- 
ceeds next between the castle mound and the slope from 
the foot of Stow Ball Hill towards its left bank, passes the 



COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWENT. 43 

remarkable rounded Mount of sandstone, " Deep Weir 
Tump," on its right, and then shoots forwards into Caldecot 
Pill, an Inlet of the Bristol Channel. 

Mr. Leman, as hereafter mentioned, fixed the probable 
Roman landing place at this Mount ; but the combined 
waters of the former marsh and inlet would spread higher, 
and are considered to have given the name of " the Creek " # 
to the hamlet of Crick on their bank, although the lower 
part of the inlet alone would constitute that navigable creek 
or inlet, which was the port of Caerwent in earlier days, 
and still continues to be such, but in much diminished im- 
portance. 

In the Roman period Caerwent would be the guardian of 
this petty Port or Inlet, and during the renewed British 
occupation which followed, its importance continued. Mr. 
Rees, the learned editor of the collection of Charters con- 
stituting the Liber Landavensis, supposes Caerwent to have 
been intended under the designation of the " City of Gwent," 
in which that work states a synod to have been held in the 
tenth century. Another Charter in the same collection, 
and in more immediate connection with the present subject, 
includes in its grants free approach for ships "in Osrio 
Taroci," which locality would indisputably be Caldecot 
Pill.t 

* The word is written Cricke in the with Charson Rock, and sometimes calls it 

Wentwood Claims of 1270, and Crikke in Charley's stone, as if in reference to this 

the Valor. Eccl. of Hen. VIII., but as story; but Saxton's maps gave the name 

" the Creek" in the Iter Carolinum. (Col- of Charston to the rock, in the time of Eli- 

lectauea Curiosa, Vol. II. p. 443.) In zabeth, and William of Worcester in the 

this sense it has as fair a derivation from fifteenth century. 

the Norman " Crike " a Creek, as Crick f See Liber Landavensis, p. 210, for 

Howel, in a different one, has from the this mention of " Gwentonia Urbs," 

British word for Crag or Rock. From its and p. 226 for " Aper Taroci" and " Os- 

connection with this passage of the Severn tium Taroci," and Mr. Rees's notes, pp. 

a few words may be added with reference 477, 497. This work is supposed to have 

to this mention of " the Creek " on the been completed (as a compilation) in 1132, 

occasion of King Charles's visit to Mr. by Geoffry, brother of Urban, Bishop of 

Moore there, July 24, 1645, with an in- Llandaff (pp. ix, x), and such compiler 

teufioii to cross for Bristol at the Black- would be a competent judge of the histo- 

rock, which he afterwards abandoned. rical credibility of statements regarding 

This unfulfilled intention has led to many the tenth century. No argument is raised 

whimsical errors. Coxe (Monmouthshire here with respect to earlier resort to the 

Tour, p. 2,)gives a story (from depositions) " Aber Taroc " from the alleged charters 

of Oliver's soldiers (meaning those of the themselves, or from British legends, as the 

Parliament) having pursued Charles (of citation above only regards proof of the 

course under misapprehension as to his real continued use of die Inlet subsequent to 

route), and of their being landed by theboat- Roman occupation. For the tradition re- 

»nei.. and drowned by the returning tide on specting it, preserved in the Triads, see 

the English stoues, not on Charson Rock. Cambrian Biography by Owen, p. 53. 
Local tradition, however, connects this 



44 



ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 



The final ruin of Caerwent seems to have followed the 
Norman Conquest, and its traffic and military consequence 
to have been transferred to Chepstow, which agrees with 
Leland's opinion. # The Saxon name " Chepstow" indeed 
points to earlier traffic there ; but it was in the time of the 
Conqueror that the erection of the Castle of Strigul adja- 
cent to that town superseded the military importance of 
Caerwent. Subsequently the feudal tenants of the Lord 
Marcher of Strigul erected their dependent fortalices on the 
Welsh side of his domain,! and Newport, Caerleon, Usk, 
and St. Briavel's formed an outer line of defence ; but in 
this new arrangement Caerwent was not included. It 
became a dependency of the lordship of Wentloog, pos- 
sessed by the Clares, Earls of Gloucester, and afterwards 
by the Audleys,| and has not subsequently occurred as a 
fortress, the name of Cas Gwent, equivalent to its own 
military designation, being given by the Welsh to Chep- 
stow, its successor. § 

The Norman tower of Caldecot, however, took the place 
of Caerwent, as the more immediate protector of the petty 



* Itinerary, Vol. V. p. 6. 

■f It may be interesting, although a 
digression, to state that these Fortalices 
of the Knights of Strigul, which formed 
part of the defence of the Norman Mar- 
chership, were Pencoed, Penhow or St. 
Maur (the cradle of the Seymours), 
Lanvair, Dinham, Crikke, Ma- 
therne (afterwards Movn's Court), 
and Hodeton now Itton, all of which 
rose on lands held by military service 
before the close of the twelfth century, 
though successive devastations have left 
little that is Norman visible in their exist- 
ing remains. 

At Moyn's Court, (so called from the 
marriage of Thomas de Moigne with the 
relict of its feudal lord, the Baron Thomas 
de Knovill, recorded in Inq. p. m. 36 Edw. 
III., and not from monastic connection, as 
Coxe supposed,) the military works are 
conspicuous behind the mansion (see 
Ordnance Map), on a tongue of land, 
strengthened by the marshes of the Murig 
which separate it from St. Pierre. The 
Roman Inscriptions, removed by Bishop 
Godwin to this place from Caerleon, have 
recently been restored to their original 
locality by the present owner of St. Pierre, 
where they intermediately rested. 

This venerable mansion of St. Pierre 
is surrounded by extensive acquisitions of 



its antient owners, but belongs to a class 
of mansions distinct from that of the for- 
talices above-mentioned. On the attainder 
of Sir John Mynstreworth of Mynstre- 
worth, (an owner unknown to Coxe and 
to the controversalists on the subject of 
the sepulchral memorials of the St. Pierres 
here), an inquisition then taken describes it 
as being, in 47 Edw. III., only a mes- 
suage with two carucates. At all events, 
as a detached outlier of Caerleon March- 
ership, it could not have been a military 
outpost of Strigul, the dependencies of 
which still encircle, but do not include it. 

The Tower of Troggy in Wentwood 
(which Camden has confounded with Stri- 
gul itself) is also omitted in the list above, 
as being of later date. This was stated 
conjecturally in a former memoir by the 
writer (Archaeol. 29, p. 30), and has been 
since ascertained from the Inq. after the 
death of Earl Roger Bigod, 35 Edw. I., 
which describes it, as " Turris apud Tor- 
rogy de novo constitutus. 

X Willis' Llandaff, p. 163; Dugdale's 
Baronage, Vol. I. p. 751. 

§ H. Lwyd, in his Commentariolum, 
calls Chepstow " celebre emporium et 
nunc Castell Gwent dictum," adding in a 
note, " hodie Cas Gwent contracte." 
Chepstow, the Saxon equivalent for em- 
porium, continued to be the English name. 



COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWENT. 45 

Port adjacent and of its traffic, and became the commence- 
ment of that noble pile which displays its ruins near the 
Inlet now only visited by a few coal sloops. 

After thus endeavouring to illustrate the locality which, 
in its better days, would be a principal entrance into "Bri- 
tannia Secunda," it remains to advert to the principal 
lines of Roman communication passing from the eastwards 
and north-eastwards towards Caerwent. 



II. — PORTWAY FROM CALDECOT TO CAERWENT, DEEMED BY 
LEMAN, HATCHER, AND OTHERS TO HAVE BEEN THE ROMAN 
MILITARY WAY DESCRIBED IN ANTONINE's ITER XIV. 

Between Bath or, Aqu#: Sulis, and Caerwent, or Venta 
Silurum. Antonine's Itinerary, as is well known to anti- 
quaries, places two stations, Trajectus and Abone, and 
Gale suggested the transposition of them. They are so 
transposed in the Compilation published by Bertram as 
that of Richard of Cirencester, with the addition of a third 
intermediate station, " Ad Sabrinam."* 

This Section only bears on the complicated disputes 
arising from this Iter, in necessarily mentioning various 
military works of which some must be coincident with the 
Stations of the Itinerary, and which by position indicate the 
lines of communication with the Severn, the probable places 
of transit, and the points of landing on the western or right 
bank of the estuary. As to the long dispute with respect 
to reconcilement of such facts with the measures of the 
Itinerary, there are about twenty theories: Camden, Bur- 
ton, Baxter, Gale, Atkins, and Rudder cross above Aust or 
the Old Passage ; Reynolds is confused and locally igno- 
rant ; Baker leans to Oldbury ; and Horseley conjectures 
an oblique passage which would necessarily bear from Aust, 
or the Pill below it, on a point below the Wyemouth. Of 
the rest, Stukeley and Lysons support a passage from Aust, 
as Seyerf does with respect to the line of Richard's Itinerary; 
but he makes the close of Richard's line to Aust an excres- 
cense from that of Antonine, which he ends at Seamills on 
the Avon, placing Abone there. 

The last to be noticed are those who travel to the mouth 

* Gale's Antonine, p. 131 ; Bertram's f Compare Seyer's Table in Vol. I. p. 

Tres Scriptores, p. 39. 130, and § 38, in p. 142. 



46 ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS. 

of the Avon, in search of Antonine's Abone, of whom 
Barritt, the historian of Bristol, doubts between Seamills and 
Portishead.* Coxe and Leman come to Seamills on the 
north bank of the Avon, near its mouth, followed by 
Hatcher, Hoare, Sever, and Phelps. In the greatest part 
of this line from Bath to Seamills there has been a tacit 
acquiescence by many for half a century, but still it is only 
a conjectural line, so far as it regards its continuation beyond 
Bitton and St. George's to Durdham Down, which is west 
of Bristol, Seyer objecting to Coxe's appropriation of 
the Fosse road from Bath to North Stoke in its supposed 
commencement,! and to any point of embarkation in the 
marsh with respect to the close. At Durdham Down, 
indeed, % a stoned way is found leading~to Seamills an undis- 
puted Roman camp guarding the mouth of the Avon ; but 
after this Coxe's line from thence over the marshes to 
Madam's Pill on the Severn, N. W. of King's Weston, 
is disputed ; and if Seyer's passage from Seamills by the 
Avon is substituted, § an additional tide makes difficulties 
anew. Finally, however, Barritt, Coxe, Leman, Hatcher, 
and Hoare expressly, and Seyer by implication, with respect 
to Antonine's Iter,|| make Caldecot Pill the point for landing 
on the western bank of the Estuary. 

It has been the opinion of numerous Pilots, whom the 
writer has had opportunities of consulting, that a passage 
from Madam's Pill to Caldecot could only take place once 
in each tide, and that from its exposure stormy weather 
would render it impracticable ; and that a passage from 
Seamills, by the Avon, would have great additional difficul- 
ties from meeting another tide, as before-mentioned. 

But assuming that the Via Julia did really proceed by 
Coxe's line to Seamills, and that the subsequent transit 
over the channel took place from either of these last-men- 
tioned points, there can be little doubt of Caldecot Pill 
having been the port made for, either with reference to its 
own convenience or the desirableness of avoiding the 
marshes below, or an unnecessary circuit above it ; such 

* Hist, of Bristol, Vol. I. p. 26. when this Itinerary was compiled a com- 

f Seyer's Bristol, Vol. I. p. 149, and mon route between Caerwent and Abona 

p. 138. was by a passage-boat direct." Seyer, I. 

X Ibid. p. 150, and Coxe, p. *14. 142. This must be through Caldecot Pill, 

§ Ibid. p. 142. as a boat from Caerwemt could not pass 

|| " It appears to me, that at the time into the Severn otherwise. 






COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWEXT. 47 

unnecessary circuit also (if made) rendering it requisite to 
encounter " the Shoots," the " periculosissimum passagium" 
of William of Worcester, and the " succession of violent cata- 
racts " described by Telford,* in his Report, from which an 
extract is given hereafter. 

And be this complication of doubts and difficulties fatal 
to Coxe's theory as to the transit to Caldecot, as a part of 
Antonine's Fourteenth Iter, or otherwise, still (what it is 
the object of the present memoir to trace) this inlet of the 
Nedern or Troggy at Caldecot would be the Port of Caer- 
went for genera] purposes of vessels ascending the estuary 
from other quarters ; and the indications of ancient road 
connecting this little Port with Venta Silurum are the 
next point. 

In his Monmouthshire Tour,f Mr. Coxe conjectured that 
the Julia Strata, recommencing at Caldecot Pill, proceeded 
thence to a natural elevation of rock (Deep Weir Tump 
near Caldecot Bridge), and after disappearing in the village 
re-occurred between Caldecot Church and Castle, and pro- 
ceeded over the natural rock to some limekilns where he 
lost it, and supposed a causeway leading from the north 
bank of the Nedern to Caerwent to have been its conti- 
nuation. 

Mr. Leman's better theory is given in the same note, 
placing the landing point at this tumulus or " Tump," 
which is negatively confirmed by no vestiges of any ancient 
road having occurred between the Severn and it or other 
parts of Caldecot village in the recent cuttings of the South 
Wales Railway. Coxe's theory also overlooked the pro- 
bable former state of the marsh between this Tump and his 
supposed continuation of way between the Church and 
Castle, and he seems not to have known that if he had 
followed the present line of road from the Tump . to the 
village cross, and advanced straight forwards, from the point 
where the road to the Church turns off at a right angle, he 
would have come on a direct paved way. 

This last-mentioned paved line, from which the hauling 
way (now used and noted in the Ordnance Map) imme- 
diately separates, proceeds straight forwards, and is formed 
of squared stones laid over the natural sandstone. It 
enters Caldecot common field and is soon lost under several 

* See note in p. 48. f Vol. I. p. *17. 



48 ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 

feet of accumulated soil, but re-emerges, and is subse- 
quently rejoined by the modern hauling way from the left, 
and proceeding in a bold curve towards Caerwent is again 
lost in a hollow cutting. The ridge of limestone rock pre- 
viously mentioned is cut through by extensive ancient 
quarries in front of it ; and if the walls of Caerwent were 
excavated from these (as is very likely), it probably pro- 
ceeded through them; if otherwise, it would join the road 
from Dewstow on its left. In either case, its further course, 
after crossing the Nedern adjacent, would proceed by Coxe's 
causeway towards Caerwent. 

III. THE PASSAGES OF THE SEVERN FROM AUST AND OTHER 

POINTS, AND ANCIENT WAYS BEARING TOWARD AND FROM 
AUST. 

With respect to the " New Passage " below Aust, con- 
sidered as a possible Roman place of passage, Seyer's 
remarks on the ancient marsh which must have been 
crossed towards it, and Telford's Report with respect to the 
difficulties of the passage itself render further observation 
unnecessary. * 

With respect to Oldbury, or rather the Pill adjacent, 
which was the favourite point of the older commentators 
on Antonine, there can be no doubt that in early ages much 
occasional crossing took place thence to opposite landing 
places in Sedbury, at Pill House and at Horse Pill in Stroat 
near Tidenham, and at Alvington, as is still the case. 
From all these points ancient hollow ways, continuations of 
lines of traffic, still stretch from Severn to Wye across the 
Forest peninsula. A passage from Oldbury to the point 
where the Dyke ascribed to Offa terminates on the Sedbury 
Cliffs, described as being of the remotest antiquity by 

* Seyer (Bristol, Vol. I. cap. ii. § 33) " It appears to be one of the most forbid- 

mentions as an insuperable reason against ding places at which an important Ferry 

any Ferry here in the Roman period, that was ever established. It is in truth a suc- 

the marsh country, through which it is cession of violent cataracts formed in a 

necessary to travel for two miles before rocky channel, exposed to the rapid rush 

arriving at the New Passage, could not be of a tide which has scarcely an equal up- 

regularly passable at that period, and on any other coast." He further mentions 

would still be overflowed, almost every the tide rising 46 feet under his assistant's 

spring-tide, but for the protection of a observation, and sometimes 3 feet higher; 

vast sea-wall. Telford (in his examina- and that the velocity was at the rate of 

tion on the subject of S. Wales roads in seven miles per hour, with encumbrances 

182 j, Pari. Reports, 278 H. p. 21,) states of rocks, and full exposure to the violence 

thus with reference to the New Passage — of the prevailing S. W. winds. 






COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWENT. 49 

Seyer,* and by the pilots as " the oldest passage on the 
Severn," has been noticed at length by the writer in Ar- 
chseologia, Vol. XXIX. p. 10. It has been considered, with 
great probability, besides its local and minor accommoda- 
tions, to have had communication with the ancient track- 
ways terminating at Oldbury ; but it is unconnected with 
the present question beyond marking its departure from 
Oldbury, and its direction to junction with Leman's con- 
tinuation of (his branch of) the Akeman Street on the western 
bank of the Severn within Sedbury.f 

Greater attention is required by the well-known position 
south of Oldbury, Aust, the Trajcctus Augusti of Lysons's 
Map in his Woodchester, a derivation which might be 
changed to an allusion to Legio Augusta, so closely con- 
nected with this district, if it could be allowed ; but the 
designation of this place as Austreclive, in Domesday, seems 
only to point to its position with respect to the Severn.j 

The undisputed Roman camp of Elberton,§ situated 
nearly three miles east of Aust, would give requisite pro- 
tection to Aust, to the Ferry, and to the short pass over 
the Marsh to it. It is a paralellogram, with broad and 
lofty mounds, described at length by Seyer and also by 
Baker in his Essay on the Gloucestershire Camps of Osto- 
rius printed in the Archaeologia, but when visited by the 
author was covered with coppice wood which prevented 
close investigation. The name, formerly written Aylbur- 
ton, like that of the township adjacent to Lydney Camp, 
may mean the " town of the old fortification. " 

Roman Remains are not known to have been found 
under its coppices, but Tumuli exist on Alveston down to 
the east of it, a tesselated pavement has been found at 
Stidcote in Titherington further to the eastwards, and 
another at Tockington Park mentioned hereafter. The 



* Seyer's Bristol, Vol. I. p. 78. from " AustrahV would refer to a southern 

f See Archaeologia, Vol. XXIX. p. 11, position, but in mediaeval Latinity aneast- 

and Map in Coxe's Monmouthshire. See em one would be indicated by the import 

also pp. 52 and 63 following. of " Austre," as may be seen by referring 

X The position of Aust, anciently Austre- to Adelung's Ducange under Austreleudi, 

clyve, is south of some of the minor chan- x\ustria (Gallica), and Austrasia. 

nels of the Severn; but its most striking § For description, see Seyer, Vol. I. p. 

feature is that of an insulated mass of 141, and Baker's Memoir in Archseologia, 

marl and lias rising from what is the Vol. XIX. 

eastern bank of the Estuary. A derivation 

E 



50 ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 

intersections of ancient roads near it are very numerous, 
and as follows : — 

The first line from Aquse Sulis (which requires particular 
attention) is stated by Rudder* to pass in a straight direction 
through Abston and Wick towards Aust, and is considered 
by Seyerf to be that Fosse road, through North Stoke to 
Upton, which Coxe has incorporated with his Julian Way. 
Seyer further conjectures it to have passed through Mangots- 
field by Berry Hill, and onwards through Almondsbury in 
the direction of Aust, and as being a line of British origin 
but Roman adoption. 

The connection of the Romans with it is abundantly 
clear. A line drawn on the map from Bath to Elberton 
Camp near Aust will lead to Upton by Seyer's Fosse way. 
At Abston, Roman pottery, sacrificial instruments, coins, &c, 
identify a Roman position, as in Rudder, p. 211. In Man- 
gotsfield the Camp of Berry Hill is shown to be of Roman 
occupation by coins. \ Further on, at Tockington Park, 
Seyer records the tesselated pavement of an incompletely 
excavated villa, and the Ordnance Map marks the Port 
Hills. Seyer considers the line thence to Aust, through 
Olveston and Elberton, to have been nearly as at present. § 

The first traditional trackway, thus partly traced and 
illustrated throughout by existing Roman remains, would 
fall in near this last point with a second ancient Vicinal 
Way tending westwards from Corinium, termed by Hatcher 
the Acman Street, and by Lysons the Ickenield Street, both 
of course meaning a branch only of the greater Streets of 
those names. It has been traced by Leman (with approval 
of Coxe and Hatcher) and by Lysons, from the vicinity of 
Cirencester, by Truesbury and Cherington and Kingscote, 
Leman doubting whether its further course tended to Old- 
bury or Aust from Symond's Hall, where perhaps branches 
divided. Lysons (Woodchester, p. 56, and map) brings 
on one line, conjecturally but after mature investigation, 
from Kingscote to Aust through Elberton. 

To this same point of Aust Seyer|| also brings conjec- 

* Rudder, p. 211. § "The Marshes prevented a nearer 

f Bristol, Vol. I. cap. ii., p. 149. communication, as they still do." Seyer, I., 

% In possession of the late Right Hon. p. 72. 

Charles Bathurst, who had a sketch of the || Vol. I. pp. 130, 155. 

supposed line of way through this parish. 



COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWENT. 51 

turally, from Seamills, that part of the Julian Way described 
in the compilation attributed to Richard of Cirencester, 
which relates to the portion between his stations of Abone 
and ad Sabrinam, supporting it by the numerous disco- 
veries of coins, &c, in its route through Henbury. That 
route is described in a note following, and it may suffice to 
observe here that it would, at all events, connect Elberton 
with the Roman Camp and Port at Seamills, and also with 
the Ridgeway in its course by Milbury Heath from Glou- 
cester to the Camps on the Avon near Bristol. 

These lines combined in one by intersection to the east 
of Elberton would cross a strip of the alluvial marsh at its 
very narrowest part near an artificial mount called Barrow 
Hill and Red Hill, and so reach Aust. Waiving, for the 
present, all reference to the military line of the Itinerary, 
the reader will perhaps think it likely that, with reference 
to such concentration and local facilities for general pur- 
poses, Seyer may be right in concluding on it " as a cer- 
tainty " that " the usual ferry in the Roman age, and for 
centuries after, was at Aust."* 

With respect to progress westward from Aust, two pas- 
sages of the Severn are practicable : — 

I. The present regular Ferry from thence to Beachley 
above or on the north-east of the Wyemouth ; 

II. An oblique Passage to Blackrock in Monmouthshire 
below or west of the Wyemouth, which is not a Ferry in the 
legal sense, and, not being such, is passed over with little 
attention in the Parliamentary inquiries. 

I. The passage from Aust to Beachley. 

In a memoir by the writer, printed in the Archaeologia 
(Vol. XXIX. p. 8), William of Worcester is correctly quoted 
as stating the width of the Severn at this point to have 
been only "jactus lapidis" seemingly a sling's throw. f This 

* Vol. I. p. 139. that rock with the tide being a guide to 

f The precise words of William of Wor- mariners, and this alone would confute 

cester are as follow: — " Charston Rok, his previous statement. William cites a 

distans inter Seynt Tyracle et Groghy mariner's dictation for it, and if he wrote 

Rok &c, &c, est ita magna rupis sicut down Austclyff instead ot Betteslegh in 

rupis Sancti Tiriaci, distans a firma terra error, correction to this effect would leave 

de Austclyff per j actum lapidis." It is points in the Wye as they are at present, 

certain that the Estuary extended to the and the width of the Severn itself unspe- 

east of the Bench Rock, now in the mid- cified. 

die of the channel of the Severn, for WiU A different measure of width is given 

liara himself mentions the covering of by Leland (Itinerary, Vol. V. fol. 5), who 

* e2 



52 



ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 



ancient statement is now contradicted by a more ancient 
one, that of Walter de Mapes, recently printed by the 
Camden Society, " Est autemf Sabrina ibi habens mill are in 
latum"* This near agreement with present measure, after 
lapse of seven centuries, is an argument for implying little 
difference to have taken place since the Roman period. t 

Reference may be made to the memoir cited for lines of 
road extending westwards and northwards from the landing 
place of this passage at Beachley, of which one would point 
on Tidenham Chase, identified hereafter as a place of Roman 
settlement, and would necessarily pass over it if continued 
onwards to Blestium or Monmouth. At its point of in- 
tersection with the Dyke, attributed to Offa (which crosses 
the Beachley peninsula and is probably raised on earlier 
works'^), it would also there intersect Leman's branch of 



describes " the Fery from Auste to a vil- 
lage on the further Ripe," &c, as three 
miles. Perhaps he went up the Wye to 
Ewen's Rock, as was formerly customary. 
See Archseologia, Vol. XXIX. p. 11. 

* Mapes, cap. xxiii. p. 99. 

f In citing, as above, Walter de Mapes 
" de Nugis Curialium," for this width of 
" miliare in latum/' we have the testimony 
of a writer once resident near it, as Rector 
of Westbury on Severn ; but it is to be 
feared that his manuscript work (the only 
one known, and one edited with great 
care) is not as trustworthy as its author. 
The story from which this citation of width 
is taken relates to this very Ferry, and to 
a well-known anecdote of the meeting of 
Edward King of England with Prince 
Llewelyn there. Now of the three Llew- 
elyns, the first and second were not con- 
temporaries with English Edwards, and 
the third (Llewelyn apGryffydh), contem- 
porary with our Edward I., lived in the 
century after that of Walter de Mapes. 
The ancient transcriber was possibly ig- 
norant of this, and proves his corruption 
of the MS. by describing his Prince as 
" filius Griffini," who in Walter's time 
was unborn. The citation as to width 
might, however, in all likelihood escape 
similar vitiation. As to the legend itself, 
Camden calls the English king, Edward 
the elder, but he was contemporary with 
no Llewelyn. Walter de Mapes probably 
meant Edmund (Ironside), who was in 
Gloucestershire in the time of Llewelyn 1. 
and may be the King intended. 

X The supposition of earlier works, 
and of their adaptation to Saxon use, has 



been stated by Mr. Fosbroke, and also by 
Mr. Webb (Bibliotheca Gloucestrensis, p. 
XCVII), and accords with the writer's 
opinion as expressed by him in a memoir 
printed in Archseologia, Vol. XXIX, p. 14. 
In this he traced the Tidenham Dyke, with 
a few intervals, for nearly six miles in de- 
vious course along the Wye, from Carswall 
near the edge of St. Briavel's parish to the 
Sedbury cliffs near the Wyemouth, which 
last is the point to which local tradition 
and the uniform voice of history bring the 
Dyke of Offa. Referring to this former 
account, two confirmatory observations 
are added. 

The First is the result of a Tour along 
the accessible points of Offa's Dyke, in 
1845, from Lynhales in Herefordshire to 
Mold in Flintshire, confirming the accord- 
ance of the Tidenham mounds with the 
more northerly line in form, character, 
and adaptation, meaning by the last the 
line of demarcation along the sides of hills, 
with avoidance of the flats and headlands 
by the sides of rivers, as for instance near 
Welshpool, where the line by the Severn 
follows the system observed in Tidenham 
near the Wye. 

The Second is the publication of a 
Survey of Dyddenhamme, attached 
to king Edwy's grant of it to the seculars 
of Bath Abbey in 956, which gives abso- 
lute proof of the existence of the Dyke 
here, nearly seven centuries before Sir John 
Wyntour made those military alterations 
in a few hundred yards of its course, which 
Coxe's correspondent confounded with its 
original purposes. The particulars will be 
found in Kemble's invaluable Diplomata 



COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWENT. 53 

the Akeman Street which runs parallel with the Dyke, and 
crossing the Wye between Chepstow and Hardwick Camp 
would proceed westwards to junction with other lines bear- 
ing on the common point of Caerwent. 

In modern days legal restrictions, limiting the crossing 
from Aust to Beachley above the Wye, bind the traveller 
going westwards to a circuit by Chepstow Bridge ; but in 
British and Roman days there can be no doubt but that 
he would have an option of crossing to a point below the 
Wye, and thus avoiding a circuit and the transit of two 
rivers. 

II. The former use of such second line of transit from 
Aust to Blackrock accords with Horseley's* suggestion. 
Although interrupted in making observation, he states that 
the Military Way running eastward from Caerwent was 
" large and remarkable," and that it left the Highway (this 
would be at Crick) and inclined southwards towards the 
Severn ; that he considered the Roman passage was below 
the Wyemouth, and the landing place not so high as Old- 
bury. In later days Seyerf has affirmed " the certainty " of 
such transit ; some approximation to it has the approval of 
Telford-! The line specified would have had communication 
with a spacious inlet, St. Pierre Pill in the mouth of the 
Murig or Mounton Stream, greatly exceeding in capacious- 
ness and power of accommodation anything afforded by the 
inlet at Caldecot ; and it would avoid the entrance to the 
perils of the Shoots, as the passage to Caldecot Pill avoided 

Anglo-Saxonum (Vol. II. p. 327; III. pp. hamlet, clearly identical with the out- 
444, 450 ; IV. p. 171); but as Dydden- lying peninsula of Beachley, thus situated 
harame is inadvertently transferred to and separated at present, and described as 
Somersetshire in the Index, it may be partly in demesne and partly paying rent 
proper to give the matter of these docu- for accommodation to Shipping, 
ments, more particularly as they are The Dyke itself is described as " Die 
referred to in other parts of this memoir. baec rr nu" (the Dyke that is now), and 
In Vol. III. p. 444. The bound- of course had existence previous to King 
aries of Dyddenhamme are traced from Edwy's grant in 956, to which grant this 
the Wyemouth to Twyfyrd's (nowWyver's) contemporary survey refers. 
Pool, on an inlet of the Severn, which are * Britannia Romana, p. 469. 
the present extreme points of Tidenham, f Seyer, Vol. I. pp. 130, 139. 
Tn p. 450, the survey itself specifies Street, J Mr. Harris (Archseologia II., p. 2, 
Lancawet, Biscopestone, names of existing 17 63) conjectures the Roman Passage tu have 
portions of the present manor, Middeltune been in this line, viz. from Aust to Black- 
seemingly coextensive with Wibdon and rock, not from any knowledge of the faci- 
Churchend, which is bounded by the brook lities of the currents, but with reference 
Middel, and Cyngestune which is identified to the glaring inconvenience of a circuit 
with the present Sedbury by its permanent by Chepstow. He appears, however, to 
boundaries, the Dyke, the Wye, and the have been grossly misinformed as to fre- 
Severn. Next, "bufan Die," beyond the quent occurrence of Roman Coins in the 
Dyke, is named " Utanhamme," the outer Severn mud at Charston. 



54 ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 

the dangers of the rapids at their termination below. An 
opinion of experienced pilots on this subject is given in the 
note below. # 

Here also, as at Caldecot, the landing would be protected 
by the great Camp of SuDBROOKf projecting into the estuary, 
and seemingly of British origin, notwithstanding the passage 
referring it to the Romans, which is inserted by Holland, 
on the authority of Bishop Godwin, in his translation of 
Camden's Britannia. The medal in honour of Severus, 
here found according to the Bishop's statement, marks 
Roman occupation ; but his observations as to bricks and 
discoveries of coins are considered inaccurate. 

The communication between Blackrock and Caerwent 
is omitted by Seyer, who would see that the stream and 
marshes of the Nedern would prevent communication by 
Caldecot Portway, but somewhat unaccountably overlooked 
that existing line of road which Horseley conjectured to be 
the true one, the late route of the mail by Portescuet and 
Crick. It follows the firm ground, in nearly direct line 
where not diverted by hill, stream, or marsh, is confined 
almost necessarily by such obstacles to its existing and 
probably ancient line, and is skirted by undescribed relics 
of antiquity. 

Proceeding from the present landing at Blackrock north- 
westwards, this road is first diverted to the south-west by the 
" Rough Grounds"! (marked in the Ordnance Map) in which 
is a Mount called Heston Brake, raised artificially on the 
edge of a dingle, and having a seeming elevation very much 
increased by natural slopes towards the north-east. It has a 
flat summit, and commands a view of the Severn towards 
Aust, and is covered with a venerable shade of oaks and 
yew trees. In the centre of this summit is a space about 
twenty-seven feet long by nine in width, surrounded ori- 

* The Passage here mentioned is well other from storms in winter, and would 
known to the writer from personal obser- be the only Ferry (except that between 
vation; but he adds, that in January, 1843, Aust and Beaehley) that could be counted 
he had an opportunity of taking the on for constant communication." 
opinions of some experienced local pilots f For a description of Sudbrook Camp, 
collectively, and they agreed in stating see Seyers I. cap. ii. § 31. 
"that a slanting passage would be good J On revisiting it in 1851, it was nearly 
from Aust to the Little Pill above Black- inaccessible, from the growth of the cop- 
rock, steering between the Wye currents pices ; but the taller of the two stones at 
and Dun Sands, and turning between the east end was seemingly between five 
Charston and the Ooze. That it might and six feet. The rest was hid by coppice 
be effected five or perhaps six times in the and briers, 
day, would have less difficulty than any 



COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWENT. 55 

ginally, as it seems, by thirteen rude upright stones, now 
time-worn, mossed over, and matted with ivy. One is at 
the east end, two at the west, and three remain at each 
side, with spaces for the four which have been removed. 
Unless it is a sepulchral memorial, connected with the 
massacre after- mentioned, no conjecture as to its object can 
be offered. 

The road thus diverted proceeds westwards through 
Portescuet, the " Portascihth " of the Saxon Chronicle, 
which records it as the site of Harold's mansion in 1065, 
and the scene of the slaughter of his servants by Caradoc* 
It extends to Caldecot Pill before-mentioned, and preserves 
in its British appellation (" Porth-ys-coed"), an allusion to 
the ancient Port or Ferry of this sylvan district ; but whe- 
ther it has further reference to Gwent-ys-coed itself must 
be left to the Cambrian antiquary. At this point the road 
returns to its previous direction, avoiding the marsh and 
stream towards Caldecot, and proceeds north-westwards 
along the base of Stow Ball Hill, a conspicuous elevation 
with Tumuli on its summit. 

Further on, and on the left of the road, is another un- 
described work at the point where the rivulet from Crick 
receives a small stream previous to its own junction with 
the Nedern in the marsh. It is marked in the Ordnance 
Map imperfectly and without designation,! but is called 
" The Berries" popularly, and in the old maps at St. Pierre. 
The enclosure is triangular, two converging sides being 
fenced by the streamlets, and the third or north-eastern 
side is curved outwards, and has in its centre a truncated 
Mount or tumulus, about twelve feet in height above the 
natural surface, thirty feet in diameter on its flat summit, 
and ninety at the base. Mounds on each side of this com- 
plete the enclosure, excepting that a fosse, surrounding the 
Mount and adding to its artificial height thereby, and 
continued outside the mounds, makes two broad openings 
between them, and shows that the enclosure was not for 
military purposes. 

Hence the present road passes on to its junction with the 
line of the vicinal road from Gloucester to Caerwent, fall- 
ing into it at Crick, where Horsley noticed the point of 

* Saxon Chronicle, by Ingram, p. 252. " Balan Moor." The space enclosed it 
f Immediately north of the words, about the third of an acre. 

*e4 



56 ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 

divergence before-mentioned, and to which, when Coxe 
visited it, the pavement from Caerwent extended ; and in 
the next field on the right, after this junction, is a large 
flattened tumulus, probably placed there with reference to 
this divergence, and illustrating Hatcher's* observation as to 
Tumuli so placed being " direction-posts of antiquity " 

It is now time to sum up what has been said of the con- 
tinuous line of communication deduced to this point. If 
the line mentioned in p. 50, as one considered by Seyer to 
have run from Bath by North Stoke, Wick, Berry Hill, Al- 
veston and Elberton to Aust, of which a continuation has 
been shown to be practicable over Severn by an oblique pas- 
sage to Blackrock, and thence by an existing line of road 
through these British remains to Crick and Caerwent, be 
measured, the result will be as follows : — The exact continu- 
ous line of way, as in other cases, cannot be proved ; but the 
entire length will be found to vary very little from Antonine's 
measure, and the stations of the Itinerary of Antonine or 
Richard might be adapted conjecturally, as in the other 
cases, by any one who wished it, to known camps. But it 
is not intended to advance any theory as to its identity 
with the military line of the Itineraries, although it is 
considered that there can be no doubt of a continuous 
British line having thus tended, and of later Roman occu- 
pation of points along it, and that every probability is in 
favour of its having been a line of long continuance as a 
vicinal line during the Roman period and after it, and of 
the Passage which forms part of it having been used when 
storms made the alleged lower line from Seamills to Cal- 
decot undesirable or impracticable. 

The continuation from Crick towards Caerwent and Caer- 
leon is noticed in the next division, and a practicable com- 
bination of the later part of this Way with the earlier part 
of Leman's Via Julia, which, in the opinion of the writer, 
seems to approach nearer to what would be requisite for a 
Military Way of constant use than Leman's line by Sea- 
mills and Caldecot, is given in the following Section. 

* Hatcher's Richard of Cirencester, p. 104, 






COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWENT. 57 

IV. REMARKS ON THE MILITARY LINE BETWEEN AQXJM 

SULIS AND VENTA, AS GIVEN IN THE ITINERARIES. 

A Route between the Stations of Bath and Caer- 
went, hitherto unnoticed, which combines portions of 
Leman's line and of the Trackway described in the last 
Section, accords with Antonine's numerals in two stages of 
the Itinerary, and is reconcileable to his general measure of 
Iter XIV. in the other, avoiding also the difficulties of the 
Seamarsh and of the exposed Passage to Caldecot, would 
be as follows. To those who admit Leman's route, it will 
show an easy substitute for it in times of difficulty ; and to 
those who reject his route as an entire line, it will exhibit a 
practicable alternative. 

In the present Memoir (p. 46) it has been stated that 
Leman's theory as to Antonine's line brings it from Bath, 
by the vale of the Avon, to Seamills, with subsequent con- 
tinuation over the marsh, westwards, to the Severn, and 
thence over the broad exposed Estuary to Caldecot. 

It is added, that if the marsh and transit are objected to, 
still Caldecot Pill would have been a petty Port for general 
purposes, and the road fromCaerwent would have had its use. 

And it is thus also with the Roman Camp on the Avon 
near Seamills. If it had no transit to protect, the petty 
Port guarded by it would remain, and for such purpose the 
road to it traced by Bitton, St. George's, and Durdham 
Down would still have had an object. 

And so also would that other way (a British and subse- 
quently Roman vicinal way) which tended primarily from 
Gloucester towards Bristol, and which will be found as the 
Ridgeway, in its approach to Almondsbury from the 
north, on the Ordnance Map, and there diverges from its 
main line south-westwards and proceeds by Knole Camp 
and Over, and then, in the direction of Cribb's Causeway, 
by Henbury and King's Weston to Seamills. (Seyer, I. 72.) 

Now it is observable, and will be reverted to hereafter, 
that, though Seyer follows Leman in passing through Sea- 
mills to Antonine's point of transit, he adopts Aust as 
Richard's. To reach Aust he travels from Bath along the 
Avon westwards to Seamills, as Leman does; then turns 
north-eastwards in the line last-mentioned to Almondsbury; 
and then turns north-westwards again, " to the Trajectus, 



58 ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 

the ferry at Aust"* (I. cap. ii. s. 58), specifying the route 
to it in a previous Chapter (i. s. 69), namely, "the lateral 
road to Aust — nearly as at present, through Olveston and 
Elberton." 

A glance at the Map will show that, instead -of this cir- 
cuit by two sides of a triangle from St. George's to Seamills 
and thence to Almondsbury, he might have passed direct 
along the base of it from St. George's to Almondsbury, 
and this by an admitted line of ancient way. The Roman 
route from Bath by Bitton is well confirmed, and its ad- 
vance westwards to St. George's also, by Leman and 
Seyer (Coxe's Monmouth, i. p. *14; Seyer's Bristol, i. p. 
151) ; and it is then lost in Bristol suburbs. It could not 
reach Durdham Down, however, without passing through 
those suburbs, and could not have done so without cutting 
the ancient way tending from Gloucester to Bristol, by 
Almondsbury, as above mentioned. The precise line of 
such ancient way between Almondsbury and Bristol is in- 
definite, and it is marked in Hatcher's Map, in his Richard 
of Cirencester, as an uncertain continuation of a certain 
Roman way. Perhaps it divided into two lines there as at 
present, and as British Roads often did, or it might take a 
middle course between them, as the projected Railway 
from Bristol to Aust, sanctioned by Parliament, would have 
done. 

A comparison of Taylor's Gloucestershire Map of 1777 
with the Ordnance Map will show a nearly connected line 
by which one of these branches may have passed, and 
names, including a " Cold Harbour," which invite anti- 
quarian speculation. Be the exact line of such former 
route however as it may, it is clear that an ancient way 
tending from north to south, as the continuation of the 
Ridgeway would have done, would have been intersected 
successively by Seyer's British Trackway and Leman's 
Roman line severally tending from East to West, namely, 
from Bath to the Severn, and would supply a communica- 
tion between them. The traveller of ancient days, who 
preferred the Vale of the Avon to the ascent towards 
Stoke, might proceed by Leman's line to the present 
St. George's, and then, rejecting the marsh and the transit 

* Seyer here uses Trajectus in the sense Station of that name at Bristol, I. p. 144 ; 
of Transit only, as he places Antonine's and Richard's at Sudbrook, I. p. 136. 



COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWENT. 59 

in its later part, might ascend by this connecting link to 
the Trackway, and proceed westwards to a surer Passage 
from Aust. 

II. On the second point, namely, the possible identity of 
such combined lhtes with Richard's Via Julia, or with the 
route described in Antonine's Iter XIV., such reader 
only is addressed as is conversant with the theories, doubts 
Lernan's route, over the Marsh from Seamills to the 
estuary and his exposed transit to Caldecot, and agrees 
with Sever (Vol. I. cap. ii. ss. 32, 33, and p. 46 pre- 
ceding), that the Seamarsh ranging northwards from the 
Avon to Aust was impracticable in the Roman period. 
Such reader may refer to the geologically coloured Ord- 
nance Map, trace the junction of the firm red marl and 
limestone district with the Seamarsh skirted by the road 
from King's Weston to Almondsbury before-mentioned, and 
trace also Seyer's British Trackway from Bath to Almonds- 
bury, and then looking northwards from the Avon, he will 
find all probable lines from Bath to Aust contained in these 
limits, and Aust, under such circumstances, the nearest 
point for transit. Even if he rejects Aust, and proceeds 
two miles northwards beyond Elberton to Oldbury (most 
unnecessarily, but in the train of older antiquaries), he will 
still proceed to it from the south by the way to Aust, 
through Almondsbury and Olveston, and as far as Elberton. 

III. The Itineraries themselves are next to be con- 
sidered, and first that attributed 'to Richard, native of 
Cirencester, Monk of Westminster, whose Iter XL, con- 
taining the Via Julia, relates to the present subject. It 
is contained in Bertram's Tres Scriptores (p. 39), among 
the " Diaphragmata," professed by Richard (the alleged 
Author) to be collected from Roman fragments, Ptolemy, 
and miscellaneous sources. The History of the discovery 
of the MS. by Bertram will be found in his own work 
cited above, Stukeley's Memoir, Reynolds's Antonine, and 
Britton's Life of Hatcher. The condemnatory points 
regarding this suspected authority are best given in the 
notice prefixed by the Historical Society to the earlier 
copies of their edition of Richard of Devizes. 

Iter XL (Bertram, p. 39) proceeds thus from Bath : — 
" Ad Abonam, MP. vj. ; ad Sabrinam, vj. ; unde Trajectu 
intras in Britanniam Secundam et Stationem Trajectum, 



60 ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 

MP. iij. ; Venta Silurum, viiij. ; Isca Colonia, viij, uncle fuit 
Aaron Martyr. 

In the first stage, vj miles would agree with placing 
" ad A bon am" at Bitton. The next vj miles, to " ad Sabri- 
nam," would neither reach the Severn *nor any possible 
former, but not existing Station near it. Three miles 
from Aust (if this place is intended) would agree with a 
passage from thence to the landing place at Blackrock, 
near to Sudbrook Camp, considered by Seyer to be Richard's 
" Statio Trajectus," which agrees with Richard as to 
being on the western shore, that is to say, in " Britannia 
Secunda," but not in " entry by traject," as there is no 
stream that could have maintained a Pill or inlet. Hatcher 
avoids this point, and Leman seems to confound Richard's 
Trajectus with the distinct Station so named by Antonine. 

The nine miles from the landing place to Venta should 
have been three, if Blackrock is intended to be the former. 

With Antonine the case is different. His Iter (invert- 
ed and taken westwards as Richard's is) would be "Tra- 
jectus, vj, MP. ; Abone, ix ; Venta Silurum, ix." 

It is proposed to adopt Gale's well-known transposition 
of Trajectus and Abone, placing Abone " ad ripam Abonis 
fluvii," and Archdeacon Rudge's limitation of Trajectus to 
an estuary or river broad enough to require the aid of 
navigation for transport to the other side. 

Abone (thus transposed) will agree with Bitton in distance. 

The ix miles of the next stage will not reach Elberton 
Camp. Possibly xvj would exceed it, and this may be 
put to the account of error in numerals, perhaps corrigible. 
There is a clear excess of v miles in the total of this Iter 
described as 103 instead of 98 miles, to which last 
sum only the stated several stages amount. This surplus- 
age is not required in other places, and a further general 
surplusage is applicable since the admitted substitution 
of Silchester instead of Reading for " Calleva," as the stage 
following Spina? or Speenhamland at the eastern terminus 
of this Iter. 

The remaining ix miles between Trajectus and Venta 
Silurum will agree with the distance between Elberton 
Camp and Caerwent, including the passage from Aust 
to Blackrock. The identity of Caerwent itself with Venta 
Silurum is uniformly admitted. 



COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWENT. 61 

The Reader may compare this with the Ordnance Map, 
and the authorities cited, and he will find it a nearer ap- 
proximation than has been previously suggested ; but where 
numerals are corrupted, and the very ruins and vestiges of 
the former roads have, in most cases, disappeared, precise 
confirmation is almost hopeless. 



V. VICINAL ROAD FROM GLEVUM TO VENTA SILURUM 

(THE RYKNIELD STREET OF hatcher). 

The line of way here, as before, is assumed, where cor- 
rection is not requisite, from previous authorities, and illus- 
tration of it limited to those confirmations of it which have 
been personally observed. Hatcher considered this to be a 
part of the main line of the British Ryknield Street, which 
he deduces from Tynemouth to Wall near Lichfield, thence 
onwards to Gloucester, and by Lydney to Chepstow, and in 
further (probable) course by Abergavenny to St. David's. 
The remains of this British Street, afterwards adopted by 
the Romans, are an unpaved hollow way, identified by its 
bearing and by the names, camps, and discovered relics in 
its vicinity. 

Points nearer Gloucester are left to local antiquaries, this 
memoir taking up the supposed line at Sparkes's Hill west 
of Newnham, where it appears as a disused hollow way to 
the right of the present turnpike road. Proceeding west- 
wards it is called Old Street at the top of Nibley Hill, and 
gives name to a tenement there, and after passing the Pur- 
lieu occurs again on the right as a remarkably deep, hollow, 
disused way in the descent to Lydney. 

Between the town of Lydney and Ailburton it appears 
next as a hollow way between the present road and the 
hills on the right crowned with two Roman camps, of 
which one contains the remains of the once splendid Tem- 
ple dedicated to a Deity of supposed sanitary powers and is 
most rich in antiquities. * It has here (as seems most pro- 

* General plans of these Camps, which Within the greater Camp, when excavat- 

are only noticed thus briefly here as proofs ed under directions of its owner, the late 

of Roman Settlement, are given in Archse- Right Honourable Charles Bathurst, were 

ologia, Vol. X.,and some of their trea- discovered the foundation walls of an 

sures in Lysons's Reliquiae Britannico- irregular Quadrangle, the sides of which 

Romanse; but these afford faint ideas of averaged severally about 200 feet, exclusive 

the interest of these Remains. of a range of offices along the N.W. side, 

*E 7 



62 



ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 



bable) been crossed by a Roman line descending from the 
camp to the Severn Marsh, partially but not continuously 
explored.* 

The line then passes through Alvington, where Camden, 
deceived by similarity of sound, placed his Abone, and to 
which, in consequence of this conjecture, he erroneously 
brought the military way of Antonine's Iter XIV. from 
Venta. 

Crossing the Cone river, it next enters that part of the 
forest peninsula once called the Earl Marshall's Liberty, 
which was a part of the Marches, and re-annexed by sta- 
tute of Henry VIII. to Gloucestershire from which it had 
been severed, f 

At this point on the left is a bold swell of ground, the 
Aluredeston of Domesday and the Alverdeston Grange of 
the Tintern Charters, now Plusterwine, Coins of unascer- 



and of a Palatial Fabric on its upper or 
N.E. side. 

This Fabric, once, possibly, the residence 
of Flavius Senilis, hereafter mentioned, 
had a Portico along its west front, and an 
open court in the centre, surrounded by 
corridors, in which, and in various other 
apartments, tesselated pavements occurred. 
This building measured about 150 by 135 
feet. 

On the north side of this building, 
separated from it by an open space, were 
Baths and Hypocausts, within a detached 
building measuring about 125 feet in 
length by 70 in greatest breadth. 

Near the centre of the principal Quad- 
rangle was (as is supposed ) the temple of the 
tutelar deity, the" Templum Nodentis" 
mentioned in the Inscription below. It 
was about 95 feet long by 75 broad, and 
in it were three tesselated pavements, the 
largest having the name of the erector 
(as in IV), placed over a fanciful border 
representing the twisted bodies of salmons, 
the fish of the Severn. 

The whole was excavated under the 
direction of its late owner, the relics and 
coins carefully preserved, plans and draw- 
ings taken, and a series of engravings (of 
very limited number) executed, in which 
eleven tesselated pavements are included. 
All was then covered again for preserva- 
tion. Among the relics are coins to the 
time of Allectus inclusive, a statuette, 
votive offerings of limbs supposed to be 
acknowledgments of the sanitary powers 
of Nodens or Nodons, and three votive in- 
scriptions given below, together with the 



Inscription in the Temple. No. Ill has 
been printed by Lysons, the others are not 
known to have been published, and are 
given with their errors of grammar and 
spelling. 

I. D. M. NODONTI. 
I. L. BLANDINVS. 

ARMATVRA 
V. S L M 

II. PECTILLVS. 
VOTVM. QVOD. 

PROMISSIT. 

DEO. NVDENTE 

M. DEDIT. 

III. DIVO. 
NODENTI. SILVIANVS. 

ANILVM. PERDEDIT. 

DEMEDIAM. PARTEM. 

DONAVIT. NODENTI. 

INTERQVIBVS. NOMEN 

SENICIANI. NOLLIS. 
PERMITTAS. SANITA— 
TEM. DONEC. PERFERAT. 
VSQVE. TEMPLVM. NO- 
DENTIS. 

IV. Imperfect, but the seeming number of 
deficient letters is shown by points, as 
follows: — 



* Plan and notes communicated by 
Charles Bathurst, Esq. 

f See Memoir by the author of this in 
Archffiologia, Vol. XXIX. p. 22. 



COMMUNICATING WITH CAERWENT. 63 

tained age and remains of buildings are said to have oc- 
curred here and at the eastern end of it, bounded by a 
former inlet of the Severn, where further shelter may have 
been afforded by the Guscar rocks, are the fields called 
" the Chesters" a name of promise unfulfilled by any results 
in recent railway excavations. 

After this, Stroat (the Strcete of Kemble's Codex Diplo- 
matics # ), with the occurrence of the names of Din-y-gaer 
and Oldbury Field on the right give some indications sup- 
ported by traces of earthworks and strength of position 
arising from irregularities of surface, which would confine 
the pass, at any time, to its present line. And stronger 
evidence may be gathered from discoveries upon Tidenham 
Chase on the right, previously mentioned as crossed by the 
Way from Beachley to Monmouth. f On this elevation a 
brass coin of the younger Faustina was lately found, and 
within a tumulus, in 1825, the Roman Altar lately pre- 
sented by the writer to the Institute. Other tumuli occur 
between this last-mentioned point and the supposed Roman 
works adjacent to the Saxon Dyke at Madgets, the Modiete 
of Domesday. 

The further approach of this street to Chepstow through 
Tidenham,| the descent of it to the Wye through the Tuts- 
hill coppices, the traditional ford, the ascent up Piercefield 
Cliffs, and the visible continuation of it between Chepstow 
Castle and Cross way Green, have been given in the 
memoir before-mentioned. § Additional remains of the 
Saxon Dyke have been traced, since the publication of that 
memoir, from the vicinity of Penmoyle along the edge of 
the Wye Cliffs to the point where this line reaches the 
banks of the Wye. The Dyke does not interfere with the 
road, but has a break in its course on the cliff above it. 

* Codex Diplomaticus Anglo- Saxonutn, Camps of Oldbury. It is however more 
Vol. II. p. 327 ; Vol. III. p. 444, 450. likely, from its position, to have been of 
f See p. 52, preceding. monastic than military character, and most 
J It may be desirable to mention that probably the Saxon Grange of the Seculars 
on a slight elevation, N. W. of Tidenham of Bath Abbey under King Edwy's Char- 
Church, is an enclosure called the Stony ter. It certainly belonged to their suc- 
lands, once fenced by earthen mounds and cessors, the Monks of de Lyra and those 
guarded on two sides by deep angles, and of Shene. 

by slopes on the others ; and it would have § Since its composition, the British 

commanded, if a military post, the street coin engraved in the Journal of the Archseo- 

or line of way here traced, as well as a hoi- logical Association, Vol, IV. p. 257, was 

low way leading from the ford of the Wye found in the Castle ditch, and one coin of 

at Llancaut to the Pill House on the Allectus near the same spot previously. 
Severn, a landing place opposite to the 



64 ON BRITISH AND ROMAN ROADS 

In its further continuation this way, after entering Mon- 
mouthshire, would take up the communication from Beach- 
ley already mentioned, after passing Hardwick, and would 
subsequently pass through the valley between St. Pierre 
and Runston by a line now sinuous, but drawn as a direct 
line in the old St. Pierre maps, and popularly considered 
"the Roman Way." At Crick this Way (now disused as a 
public road) joins that line from Blackrock, which was the 
subject of the last division, and in its further progress 
towards Caerwent becomes the " remarkable" military way 
described by Horseley in 1732.* 

At this return to Venta the precise inquiry ends ; but 
it may be desirable to preserve a notice of Roman remains 
found at the point where the continuation to Caerleon 
approaches the defile between Penhow and the lower 
Wentwood range, at the distance of about one mile from 
Caerwent. 

Here, at a place marked as the "Five Lanes" in the 
Ordnance Map, in the field N. E. of their intersection, is a 
large flattened tumulus like that at Crick, stated to have 
been opened without result. In the next field westwards 
(the property of the Tynte family and called Cherry Or- 
chard) Roman remains of great interest were found about 
twenty years ago. " One very handsome tesselated pave- 
ment was destroyed by children, and a large portion of 
another pavement was subsequently found, but immediately 
covered up as the only means of preservation."! Scattered 
" tesserse " occurred on the surface of the field several 
years afterwards, when the writer examined it. 

It is unnecessary to pursue the united lines further 
towards Caerleon, the next Station, where accumulated 
results of excavations have been duly appreciated, and 
liberality and taste have been equally conspicuous in their 
preservation and arrangement. 

* See page 53. The remains of this f Communication from the late Col. 

"undoubtedly Roman way" were visible Lewis, of St. Pierre, who was present at 

when Coxe visited it in 1799 ; see Tour the discovery of the second pavements. 
p. *20. 



65 



THE DESCENT OF THE EARLDOM OF 
GLOUCESTER. 

BY JOHN GOUGH NICHOLS, ESQ., F.S.A. 



The descent of the Earldom of Gloucester, which I propose 
to consider on the present occasion, extends from its crea- 
tion by king Henry I. to its extinction by the attainder of 
Thomas le Despenser, the last earl, shortly after the acces- 
sion of Henry IV. This descent is chiefly remarkable for 
the number of families through which the dignity passed, 
in dependance upon the rights, or pretensions, of female 
inheritance ; for in the course of two centuries and a half it 
was transferred either seven or eight times in consequence 
of such claims. It first originated in the provision made 
by king Henry I. for Robert his favourite illegitimate son. 

Henry I. had several natural children, but Robert is said 
to have been the eldest, and his mother was of exalted 
birth. Her name was Nesta, the daughter of Rhys ap 
Tudor, Prince of South Wales, which Nesta afterwards 
married Gerald of Windsor, constable of Pembroke Castle, 
and from that marriage the Fitzgeralds, earls of Kildare 
and dukes of Leinster, have descended. # 

The city of Caen is said to have been the birthplace of 
Robert earl of Gloucester, and Sandford attributes to him 
a surname from that city. It is certain that in virtue of 
his marriage he afterwards became constable and governor 
of Caen,f and I suspect some misapprehension may have 
arisen from that circumstance. He was still in his early 
youth when his royal father found the means of providing 
for his future support, by bestowing upon him the heiress 
of Robert Fitz-Hamon. This Robert Fitz-Hamon had been 

* She is said to have had another son Giraldus Cambrensis. See Arcbseologia 
by the king, named Henry ; and she was Cambrensis, New Series, iii. 133. 
the maternal grandmother of the histoiian f Stapleton's Norman Rolls, i. p. xxxi. 

F 



66 THE DESCENT OF THE 

one of the comrades of the Conqueror, who rewarded him 
with his customary bounty. He received the lordship of 
Bristol, that of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, and that 
of Cardiff, in South Wales. He was also Lord of Corbeil, 
in Normandy. He performed a great service to Henry I. 
in obtaining the surrender of the city of Caen, and was 
thereupon made its governor. 

This loyal, and wealthy baron being deceased, the king 
determined to bestow his heiress in marriage on his own 
son Robert. The rhyming historian Robert of Gloucester 
represents the lady as somewhat reluctant to accept the 
youth, and as holding a parley with her sovereign, which 
has often been quoted in illustration of the origin of sur- 
names. " Sir," said she, " well I wote your heart is set upon 
me rather for mine heritage than for myself ; and, consider- 
ing what that heritage is, it were a great disgrace to me to 
own a lord that had no surname. My father's name was 
Robert le Fitz-Hamon, and no one that was not of his kin 
could properly assume it. Therefore, Sir, for God's sake let 
me accept no man unless he have a name whereby he may 
be known." " Damsel," quoth the king, " thou sayst well ; 
his name shall be Sir Robert Fitz-Roy." The maid replied 
that such would be a fair name for him during his life ; yet 
that it would not be appropriate for his son or his posterity ; 
because patronymics were then strictly interpreted, accord- 
ing to their original meaning, and Fitz-Roy would imply 
the actual son of the king ; and she therefore proceeded to 
demand by what name his son should be called. The king 
then declared that, as her estates lay chiefly in Gloucester- 
shire, he should be Earl of Gloucester, which title and 
dignity would of course descend to his son. 

This arrangement, we are to presume, was satisfactory to 
the family pride of the heiress, and such, according to the 
quaint old chronicler, was the origin of the earldom of 
Gloucester. The new earl subsequently became a prominent 
character in the struggle for the throne, between its occu- 
pant king Stephen and its claimant the empress Maud, in 
which he stoutly supported the cause of his half-sister. I 
am not aware whether the name of Fitz-Roy, as applied to 
him, occurs in any other place than in Robert of Glou- 
cester's verses ; but he was also distinguished by the sur- 
name of Rufus, or the Red, probably from the colour of 



EARLDOM OF GLOUCESTER. 67 

his hair and beard; and he is frequently mentioned as 
Robert Consul. 

The designation Consul has been usually regarded as 
merely synonymous with Comes, or Earl.* I suspect it 
may have had a somewhat further import ; but it has not 
hitherto been my good fortune to meet with any evidence 
in elucidation of this point. 

Mr. Dallaway, in his essay on ancient Bristol, states that 
" Robert the Consul, or the Red, Earl of Gloucester, built 
or rebuilt the castle of Bristowe about 1 110; but it does 
not appear that he had completed it before 1138, when he 
received his half-sister the empress Maud." He died in 
1147, seven years before the end of Stephen's reign, and 
was buried in the midst of the choir of the monastery of St. 
James, in Bristol, which he had founded. 

William, his son and heir, the second earl of Gloucester, 
held the earldom for twenty-six years, having an only son, 
Robert, his heir apparent. This Robert died without issue 
in 1 1 70, and his three sisters then became the presumptive 
hens of their father. Shortly after, Mabel, the eldest, was 
married to Amaury, the eldest son of Simon de Montfort, 
comte of Evreux. William earl of Gloucester died in 1 1 73 ; 
and after his decease his three daughters, Mabel countess 
of Evreux, Amicia countess of Clare, and Isabella, then 
in the king's wardship, were found to be his heirs. Each 
of these ladies was entitled to some share in their father's 
estates ; but the earldom, being indivisible, might be 
awarded by the sovereign to which of the three he pleased, 
and he chose to give it to the youngest, because her mar- 
riage was still at his disposal. A parallel award was made 
in the next reign of the earldom of Salisbury. William 
earl of Salisbury left three daughters ; and king Richard 
chose to give the earldom in marriage with Ela to his 
natural brother, William Longespee — the two other daugh- 
ters being married to Normans of inferior rank. 

King Henry the Second, as guardian of the heiress, re- 
tained this earldom in his own hands for three years, during 

* " Consul is often used for Earl in the i. cap. 8, § 2,) that wrote under Henry 

time of the first age of the Norman kings, III., says, indeed, that comites did possunt 

in William of Malmesbury, Huntingdon, consules a consulendo." This passage of 

Hoveden, and some such men. But with Selden's Titles of Honour is not very satis- 

king Stephen this kind of use of that word factory, 
ended. Only Bracton, (De Rer. Divis. lib. 

f2 






68 THE DESCENT OF THE 

which time he confirmed certain grants made by her father. * 
It then, as so often happened in similar cases, was assigned 
to a junior scion of the royal house. This time the party 
was not a bastard, but legitimate ; namely, John, the 
third and youngest son of the king, and himself afterwards 
king of England. John was born in the king's manor- 
house at Oxford, in 1166. His marriage was arranged ten 
years after, in 1 176 ; but, it is said, with this caution, that 
the pope's license and dispensation might be obtained, a 
condition which afterwards facilitated his divorce. 

John was not actually in possession of the earldom of 
Gloucester until after the accession of his brother king 
Richard ; in the first year of whose reign we find, in the 
great roll of the exchequer, Hugh Bardolf accounting for 
the revenue of the county, for three parts of a year before 
the king had given the honour to his broth er.f 

John is considered to have been Earl of Gloucester 
until his accession to the crown ; but he did not usually 
pass by this title. During the reign of his brother Richard 
he went by the designation of Earl of Morton, derived from 
the comte of Mortaigne, in Normandy. J Upon his succes- 
sion to the throne, being without children by his wife, he 
obtained a divorce from her on the plea that they were 
within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity. This was 
accomplished in the second year of his reign, and he was 
re -married to Isabel of France. The tyrant continued, 
however, to retain the countess of Gloucester and her lands 
in his custody ; until, more than thirteen years after, he 
sold them, (excepting the castle and forest of Bristol,) to 
Geoffrey de Mandeville earl of Essex. § The price was 
twenty thousand marks ; whereof five thousand were to be 
paid before the king's departure for Poictou, five thousand 



* Monasticon, iv. 335. from an impression among the muni- 
t Seklen's Titles of Honour. merits of Mr. Mansel Talbot, at Margam 
X I have met with no seal of John as Abbey, 
earl of Gloucester ; but one of Isabella, as § Rex vie. Glouc. &c. Scias quod de- 
countess of Gloucester and Mortaigne, dimus Isabellam comitissam Gloucestrie 
represents her standing, a flower in her Galfrido de Mandevilla comiti Essex, in 
right hand and a hawk on her left, the uxorera, cum omnibus terris et tenementis 
legend, SIGILLVM ISABEL CQMITIS- etfeodis ipsius comitissequas sunt in manu 
SM GLOCESTRIE ET MORETVIL. nostra, exceptis castro Bristollie et foresta 
This is engraved in the Gentleman's Bristollie. T. xxviij. Jan. [1214.] Rot. 
Magazine for December 1840, communi- Lit. Claus. i. 162. 
cated by the Rev. J. M. Traherne, F.S.A., 



EARLDOM OF GLOUCESTER. 69 

more at Easter ensuing, a'nd five thousand at Michaelmas.* 
The chroniclers state that the earl made this bargain un- 
willingly, and was never able to fulfil it.f It is probable 
that he had some difficulty in so doing, } and there may 
be truth in the assertion that his woods were destroyed 
and his manors deeply pledged in the venture. In any 
case, he had no reason to be satisfied with the king's con- 
duct, for he soon after joined the rebellious party, which 
invited Louis of France to their aid ; and it was in a tour- 
nament, held with the French in London, that his career 
was closed, in the year 1216. During the life of earl 
Geoffrey, the countess, with his consent, made a grant to 
Basseley priory, (which was situate in Wentlock, part of 
her ancestral domains) ; the names of their respective earl- 
doms taking precedence in the designation of each.§ 

Earl Geoffrey died without issue. The Dunstable chro- 
nicler, after stating his death, proceeds to say, that his 
widow was married to Hubert de Burgh, the chief justice ; 
and that, dying shortly after, she was buried at Canterbury. 
Sir William Dugdale has adopted this statement of her 
marriage. || It appears, however, that this is a mistake ; 
arising from the circumstance of her lands being committed 
to the custody of Hubert de Burgh,^[ in consequence of 
earl Geoffrey having died in rebellion. 

The countess of Gloucester was living on the 1 7th 
September, 1217, when her return to the king's fealty and 
service was announced to the sheriff of Oxfordshire ; ## but 
before the 1 8th November she was deceased, and we then 
find her nephew, Gilbert de Clare, already styled Earl 
of Gloucester.! f 

Before we proceed with the history of the earls of this 
family, it is necessary to take some notice of Amaury de 

* Dugdale, Baronage, from Rot. Fin. cestrise, concessi, &c. Hearne's Adam de 

15 Jon. m. 1. Domerham, p. 609 ; Monasticon,iv. 634. 

f Annales de Dunstaple. || Baronage, vol. i. pp. 699 and 706. 

X " Galfridus de Mandeville non tenet ^ See Mr. Foss's Lives of the Judges, 

finem quern nobiscum fecit." Rot. Claus. ii. 277. 

i. 163. This, however, was in the month ** Rot. Lit. Claus. i. 323. 

next after the marriage, and in the follow- ff Mandatum est justiciariis de Banco 

ing August it appears that he had " satis- quod ponent in respectum loquelam quae 

fied the king." See several letters, ibid. est inter G. de Clara, Comitem Glouces- 

pp. 209, 210, 211. trise, et Willielmum de Cantilupa et Mili- 

§ Sciant prsesentes et futuri quod ego sentam uxorem ejus de placito dotis, &c. 

Isabella, Comitissa Gloucestriae et Essexise, Rot. Lit. Claus. i. 344. Milisent was the 

consensu et assensu domini mei Galfridi dowager countess of Evreux, widow of 

de Maundcvile, Comitis Essexiee et Glou- Amain y de Montfort. 



70 THE DESCENT OF THE 

Montfort, the son of Amaury earl of Evreux, by Mabella 
the eldest daughter and heir of William earl of Gloucester. 
This Amaury claimed the dignity of earl of Gloucester, 
and assumed the title, though we have no proof that it was 
ever allowed him. Under this title, in the month of May, 
3 200, he quit-claimed to the king of France the city of 
Evreux and the Evrecin, to the deeds for the ratification of 
which two seals were appended — with the legend, Sigillum 
Almarici Comitis Glovernie ; one representing him on horse- 
back, armed ; and the other bearing an impression, both on 
the front and the reverse, of his shield of arms, party per 
pale indented, the latter being inscribed Secretum Comitis 
Glovernie* Earl Amaury was dead, without issue, before 
the 30th November, 1213;* and the title of Gilbert 
de Clare, the son of the third sister, Amicia countess of 
Clare, was therefore complete on the death of his aunt the 
countess Isabella. The marriage of Amicia, his mother, 
had already taken place at her father's death in 1173 ; and 
her son and heir, Gilbert, had succeeded his father as earl 
of Hertford in 1218. 

This family of Clare derived their descent from the 
comtes of Brionne before the conquest of England, and 
took their English name from the great castle of Clare in 
Suffolk. The earldom of Hertford was conferred upon 
Richard de Clare by king Stephen, and that of Pembroke 
on his brother Gilbert. 

But the earls of Pembroke often went by the designation 
of earls of Striguil, the ancient name of their castle of 
Chepstow ; and their cousins of Hertford were in like 
manner customarily styled earls of Clare. Richard, the 
fourth earl of this branch, was the husband of Amicia of 
Gloucester, and the father of Gilbert the fifth earl. There 
were four earls of Gloucester of this family, in successive 
generations, the second named Richard, and the two last 
Gilbert. The first Gilbert died in 1229, Richard in 126 1, 
the second Gilbert in 1295, and the third in 1313. After 
this dignity had come into the family, they were no longer 
called Earls of Clare, but Earls of Gloucester and Hertford, 
or of Gloucester only, this being the earldom of senior 
precedence. 

This order was not however uniform. On the seal of earl 

* Stapletcn's Rotuli Norm. vol. i. p. cxliv. 



EARLDOM OF GLOUCESTER. 71 

Richard * he is styled on the obverse, where he is figured 
riding on horseback — Sigillum Ricardi de Clare, Comitis 
Hertfordie ; and on the reverse, displaying the shield of 
Clare, which two lions are supporting with their backs — 
Sigillum Ricardi de Clare, Comitis Glovernie. 

The seal of his son, earl Gilbert,! has the like legends 
— each earldom being named distinctly ; and the relative 
importance of each side of the seal being also maintained 
by each representing his figure on horseback — on the Hert- 
ford side riding to the right, and on the Gloucester side to 
the left. 

Earl Gilbert, the second of his name, had married for his 
first wife a niece of the king of France, Alicia, daughter of 
Guy comte of Angouleme; and for his second wife he 
made the still more illustrious alliance with a daughter of 
his own sovereign. 

This was the princess Joan of Acre, the second child and 
eldest daughter of king Edward L, born at Acre, in Pales- 
tine, when the faithful queen Alianor attended her consort 
on his crusade in the year 1272. The marriage of the 
princess Joan was celebrated at the house of the Knights 
Hospitallers at Clerken well, near London, in 1290 ; and in 
May, 1291, her son Gilbert, afterwards earl, was born at 
Tewkesbury. But this happy marriage, to one of the 
greatest of her father's subjects, was not destined to be of 
long duration ; for earl Gilbert died at his castle of Mon- 
mouth in 1295. 

We now meet with an incident in the descent of the 
earldom of Gloucester, which, though the like occurs in 
several instances of heiresses, is, I believe, unparalleled in 
the case of any other countess dowager. The countess of 
Gloucester married again, and by that marriage she con- 
ferred the earldom on her second husband, during her own 
life. Whether such tenure would have continued after her 
son, Gilbert de Clare, had attained his majority, was not 
put to the proof, as she died in 1307, when he was only 
sixteen ; but it may fairly be presumed that it would, the 
dignity being actually vested in herself; for, in the case of 
the earldom of Salisbury, in the reign of Henry III., the 
son could not inherit whilst his mother, the heiress of the 

* Engraved in Watson's Earls of War- f This is engraved in Spelman'sAspilogia, 

ren and Surrey. and in Sandford's Genealogical History. 



72 THE DESCENT OF THE 

earldom, was alive, although he was of full age, and she 
the abbess of a nunnery. 

It is probable that the peculiar privilege which accrued 
to the countess of Gloucester was provided by king Ed- 
ward for his daughter by the terms of her marriage settle- 
ment. The earl of Gloucester, at his marriage, surrendered 
to the king all his castles and manors, both in England and 
Wales, and the king restored them with an entail by which, 
had he died without issue by her, they were to come to the 
princess herself, her heirs and assigns. It was by such an 
entail, made on the marriage of Thomas earl of Lancaster, 
(a peer of the blood royal,) with the heiress of the earldom 
of Lincoln, that that earldom subsequently became the in- 
heritance of his nephew Henry duke of Lancaster, although 
he had no blood of the ancient earls. Such then seems to 
have been the usual condition of an alliance with the royal 
house. 

I have no fuller particulars of the entail made in the 
case of the Princess Joan of Acre than those I have already 
stated ; but it seems that her name was placed in it before 
that of her child, and that thus in fact she inherited the 
earldom of Gloucester on her husband's decease. 

But neither her extraordinary privileges, nor her exalted 
birth, protected the countess of Gloucester from the intru- 
sion of the more ordinary influences of female happiness. 
Like other dowagers in their " free widowhood," she ven- 
tured to take upon herself the responsibility of her next 
change of condition ; for the ladies of the middle ages, 
when they really enjoyed a relaxation of their feudal fet- 
ters, appear to have indulged their own inclinations with a 
wilfulness proportioned to their unwonted liberty of action. 
Shortly after her husband's death, the countess of Glou- 
cester cast her eyes upon a handsome young esquire of his 
household, named Ralph de Monthermer, and within 
two years the king made the discovery that she had formed 
a secret marriage with him. His previous obscurity may 
be presumed from the fact that no earlier mention of his 
name has been found in records. King Edward, on his first 
discovery of this unequal match, being highly incensed, for 
he was even then treating for his daughter's alliance with 
Amadee ~duke of Savoy, seized to his own hands all her 
castles and lands, and committed Monthermer to strait im- 



EARLDOM OF GLOUCESTER. 73 

prisonment in the castle of Bristol. Nevertheless, through 
the mediation of Anthony Beke, bishop of Durham, a recon- 
ciliation was effected, when Monthermer was admitted to per- 
form the ceremony of homage for the earldom at the palace 
of Eltham, on the 2nd August, 1297. On the 10th April 
following he occurs, bearing the title of Earl of Gloucester 
and Hertford, being then summoned to attend a parliament 
at Salisbury. When he went the expedition to Scotland in 
1300, the poet of the siege of Carlaverock describes him as 
M one who, after great doubts and fears, had accomplished 
his courtship of the countess of Gloucester ; for whom he 
long endured great calamities, until it pleased God he 
should be delivered. He bore on his banner (continues the 
poet) only the three red chevrons of Clare upon a field of 
gold ; but he made no bad appearance as attired in his own 
coat of arms, which was yellow, charged with a green 
eagle.' ' It is in " his own coat " alone that earl Ralph de 
Monthermer appears on his great seal,* the eagle being 
displayed on his shield, on the mantlings of his horse, as 
his own crest, and as that of his horse. It is also the sole 
charge of his shield on the reverse of the seal. The legend 
of both sides of the seal are alike, viz. : S. Kadulfi de 
Monte Hermerii, Com. Glovernie et Hertford. This 
eagle of Monthermer has since been widely distributed 
among the achievements of our nobility ; for it was not only 
quartered by the Montagues and Nevilles earls of Salis- 
bury, and the Beauchamps earls of Warwick, but also 
adopted by the later Montagues earls and dukes of Man- 
chester, and earls of Halifax and Sandwich, although their 
connexion with the family of the earls of Salisbury is more 
than apocryphal. In another line it has descended to the 
earls and dukes of Montagu, and to the present duke of 
Buccleuch, and lord Montagu of Boughton. The title of 
viscount Monthermer was conferred with the earldom of 
Montagu in 1689, and that of marquess of Monthermer 
with the dukedom of Montagu in 1705, — titles which ex- 
pired with the .second duke in 1749; and the marquesate 
was conferred a second time with the dukedom in 1766, 
and became extinct in 1790. 

So far did Monthermer himself, by his personal ^prowess, 

* Engraved both in Sandford's Genea- Vetusta Monumenta (the Barons' Letter 
logical History of England, and in the to the Pope). 



74 THE DESCENT OF THE 

his knightly demeanour, and his prudent conduct in the 
wars of Scotland, establish his credit with his royal father- 
in-law, that ten years after his marriage the king granted to 
him the forfeited lands and dignity of the earldom of Athol. 
But the same year his wife died ; and from that event he 
no longer ranked as an earl in the English parliament, and 
the Scottish earldom he sold for 5000 marks to David de 
Strathbogie, the son and heir of its former possessor. He 
was summoned for some years after as a baron, and died 
about 1325, having had issue two sons (the younger of 
whom was afterwards a baron by writ) and a daughter 
married to Duncan earl of Fife. 

The third Gilbert de Clare inherited the earldom on 
his mother's death, being then sixteen years of age; but 
his career was short, for he was slain at the battle of Ban- 
nockburn in 1313, (in which disastrous field also his step- 
father, Monthermer, was taken prisoner,) and he left no 
surviving issue. 

His three sisters thereupon became his co-heirs, namely, 
Alianor, wife of the king's favourite, Hugh le Despenser 
the younger ; Margaret, the widow of his other favourite, 
Piers de Gaveston earl of Cornwall ; and Elizabeth, wife 
of John de Burgh, son and heir of the earl of Ulster. 

The dignity of Earl of Gloucester is attributed by some 
writers to Hugh le Despenser ; but though he was sum- 
moned to parliament from the 8th Edward II. to the 1 9th 
of that reign, it was always in the rank of a baron. His 
great seal styles him " do minus Glamorgannie et Mor- 
gannie," but nothing more. His father was created earl 
of Winchester (10th of May, 15 Edward II.), to which dig- 
nity in the ordinary course of events he would have suc- 
ceeded ; and the elder Despenser was advanced in years : 
but he lived on to encounter that cruel death in the city of 
Bristol, the horrors of which are described by Froissart, and 
both father and son were immediately after attainted in 
parliament. 

The latter days of the Despensers will be familiar to those 
who are acquainted with Bristol history. The younger 
Hugh, having made his escape into Wales, was subse- 
quently arrested there, and on the eve of St. Andrew in 
1326 he was executed at Hereford. 

It appears therefore that the name of Hugh le Despenser 



EARLDOM OF GLOUCESTER. 75 

is not justly entitled to be placed in the list of the earls of 
Gloucester, though that dignity is sometimes attributed to 
him. 

His brother-in-law, Hugh de Audley, who had married 
the countess of Cornwall the widow of Piers de Gaveston, 
had taken the opposite side in politics, and had fought on 
the part of the earl of Lancaster at the battle of Borough- 
bridge. He consequently was in disgrace during the supre- 
macy of theDespensers, though it is said that for his wife's 
sake he escaped the destruction which befel others of his 
friends. He was restored to his lands in the first year of 
Edward III., but not admitted to the earldom of Gloucester 
until ten years later. The charter of his creation is dated 
the 16th of March, 1337, 11 Edward III. Selden remarks 
that it is one of the earliest he had seen with a preamble 
setting forth the merits of the grantee in the manner which 
has been customary in more recent times. # It is also re- 
markable as mentioning that the honour was assigned " de 
definitivo consilio parliaments " This may allude to Hugh 
de Audley 's claim to the dignity derived from his marriage; 
but in all other respects it assumes the air of an entirely 
new creation. Instead of the third penny from the issues 
of the county, which had been the ancient emolument of 
earls, the fixed annuity of 20/. was assigned to the new earl 
of Gloucester. He was girt with the sword of the earl- 
dom, and went through the other ceremonies of investiture 
in full parliament, the Prince of Wales (the Black Prince) 
being at the same time created Duke of Cornwall, William 
de Clinton Earl of Huntingdon, William de Bohun Earl of 
Nottingham, and Robert Ufford Earl of Suffolk. Hugh de 
Audley was earl of Gloucester for ten years, and died in 
21 Edward III., 1347, leaving no heir to his dignity. 

The title of Gloucester, which had already been borne by 
a king's daughter, was next conferred on a king's son, with 
the superior rank of duke. 

* " Nos ad probitatemstrenuam, chari- cietincrementum,ipsum de definitivo dicti 

tatem generis, et providentiam circumspec- Parliament consilio in Comitem Glouces- 

tatn dilecti et fidelis nostri Hugonis de Au- trise prsefecimus, et de statu Comitis per 

dele, necnon ad obsequia placida quae nobis cincturam gladii de munificentiaregia inves- 

in opportunitatibus tarn liberaliter quam tivimus, ad nomen et omen Comitis dicti 

gratanter prsestitit, personae vel rerum dis- loci sibi et heredibus suis perpetuo reti- 

pendiis non vitatis, grata? considerationis nendum." See the rest of the charter in 

intuitum dirigentes ac operantes quod ho- Selden's Titles of Honour, 
noris adjectio probitati sua? gratuni adji- 



/b THE DESCENT OF THE 

Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester, was the 
sixth and youngest son of king Edward III., and was born 
on the 7th Jan., 1355-6. During his father's lifetime his 
establishment was provided for by his marriage with Alia- 
nor, elder of the two daughters and co-heirs of Humphrey 
de Bohun earl of Hereford and Essex, and sister to Mary 
countess of Derby, the mother of king Henry the Fifth. 
Thomas of Woodstock was affianced to this lady in 1374, 
and in her right he immediately assumed the office of Con- 
stable of England. At the coronation of Richard II., in 
1377, he was created Earl of Buckingham; and upon the 
partition of the lands of Bohun in 1380, between the coun- 
tess Alianor and her sister, he acquired the additional 
title of Earl of Essex. In 1385, when he was with the 
king in his expedition towards Scotland, he was advanced 
to the dignity of Duke of Gloucester by patent dated the 
6th of August ; and the ceremony of creation was performed 
at Hawick in Northumberland, by girding him with a 
sword, and placing a cap with a circle of gold upon his 
head.* He soon after became the head of the opposition 
party. In 1387-8 he was chief of the lords appellant who 
impeached the royal favourite Richard de Vere duke of 
Ireland ; and a few years after, in 1397, he was basely de- 
coyed by the king his nephew from his castle of Pleshy in 
Essex, carried over to Calais, and there put to death.f 

The representative of the Despenser family took this op- 
portunity to urge his claim to the earldom. Thomas le 
Despenser was the great-grandson of Hugh whose pre- 
sumed tenure of the dignity has been already adverted to. 
He was a young man, born about 1373, and attached to the 
court party. In August 1397 he was one of the council at 
Nottingham castle, which persuaded the king to appeal 
the duke of Gloucester and his party of treason. In the 
following month he appeared in parliament as one of the 
lords appellant, and before its close he was rewarded for 
his aid in that transaction by the earldom of Gloucester ; 
and a large share of the forfeited lands of the earls of War- 
wick was settled upon him and Constance of York, then 
his wife. 

In the same parliament the judgment of disinherison and 

* Selden, p. 755. 
t See a memoir of this duke in Beltz's Memorials of the Order of the Garter. 



EARLDOM OF GLOUCESTER. 7/ 

exile which had been pronounced in the 15 Edward III. 
against his great-grandfather was revoked, and such of his 
ancestral estates as remained within the control of the 
Crown were restored to him. These ample bounties did 
not secure his fidelity to king Richard. He w T as among the 
first w r ho deserted the unfortunate monarch in his distress, 
not hesitating to accept and discharge the insulting office 
of notifying on behalf of the peers the sentence of depo- 
sition on his late too indulgent master. This did not how- 
ever protect him from the vengeance of the Lancastrian 
party. No sooner was king Henry's parliament opened 
than the appeal of 1397 became a subject of inquiry. The 
earl of Gloucester's defence was that he had acted under 
restraint ; that his name had been inserted in the bill of 
appeal without his knowledge ; that he had been in no 
respect privy to the murder of the duke of Gloucester, or 
a promoter of the sentences against the earls of Arundel 
and Warwick, or of the repeal of the patent to the duke 
of Lancaster. All these allegations w T ere unavailable, and 
he was adjudged to be degraded from the dignity of earl of 
Gloucester, to forfeit all the grants he had received of the 
lands of those whom he had accused, to give thereafter 
no liveries nor cognizances, to maintain no other retinue 
than his domestic servants, and to hold all his possessions 
at the king's mercy. # Within a month after, Despenser en- 
tered into a conspiracy with four others of the former lords 
appellant to seize the person of the king. Having been 
foiled of this object at Windsor castle, they fled to the 
western counties. Despenser was arrested at Bristol, and 
beheaded by the citizens on the 16th January, 1399-1400. 
His body was conveyed to the magnificent tombs of his 
progenitors at Tewkesbury. By the Princess Constance of 
York (aunt to king Edward IV.) he had an only son, who 
died at the age of fourteen without issue. Such was the 
end of the once flourishing house of Despenser, and the last 
of the earls of Gloucester. 

The title has in subsequent ages been always united to 
the dignity of duke, and has been strictly confined to the 
blood royal. 

The good Duke Humphrey, the youngest son of Henry 

* Rot. Pari. iii. 452. 



78 THE DESCENT OF THE 

IV., was summoned to parliament in 1414 as Duke of 
Gloucester and Earl of Pembroke, and died in 1446. 

The next duke was Richard of York, created in the 
ninth year of his brother Edward IV., and on whose own 
accession to the throne the dignity merged in the Crown. 

There was then no duke of Gloucester for nearly 
160 years. During the reign of James the First, when so 
many ancient titles were bestowed on new families, this 
was still respected as peculiar to the royal house ; and 
shortly after the birth of Henry, the third (surviving) son 
of king Charles the First, in July, 1640, he was declared 
Duke of Gloucester. No creation however took place until 
shortly before the Restoration, when, by letters patent 
dated the 13th of May, 11 Car. II., 1659, he was created 
Duke of Gloucester and Earl of Cambridge. He sat in 
parliament on coming to England, although not then of 
full age ; for he had only seen twenty years and two months 
when he died on the 13th of September, 1660. 

William, the only son of the princess Anne of Den- 
mark (afterwards queen) that survived the age of infancy, 
was declared Duke of Gloucester by king William the Third 
at his baptism (three days after his birth), 27th July, 1689. 
He was elected into the order of the Garter by that title in 
1696 ; but died at the age of eleven, July 30, 1700, before 
a patent of creation to the dukedom had been passed. 

The dignity of Duke of Gloucester is next attributed to 
Frederick Lewis, subsequently Prince of Wales. # In the 
London Gazette of the 11th January, 1717-18, it was an- 
nounced,! under date of the 10th, that his Majesty had 
been pleased to give direction for a patent to be passed to 

* When the Electoral Prince of Hano- f At the period of this announcement, 
ver, afterwards king George II., was created an infant prince (George William) was 
a British peer in 1706, the title of Glou- living, who had been born on the 2nd of 
cester was reserved. He was made both November, 1717, and died in February 
Marquess and Duke of Cambridge. It is following; and there is a contemporary 
possible that this was because the title of print extant, in which that prince is styled 
Gloucester was then considered to belong Duke of Gloucester. — See the Gentleman's 
especially to the third son of a sovereign, Magazine for November, 1851, p. 512. 
as York to the second. Such a notion The mistake was one into which the print- 
obtained in France relative to certain titles: seller might naturally fall ; and we are still 
" La qualite du second Fils est celle de without an explanation of the concurrence 
Due d'Orleans ; celle du troisieme, de Due of the proposed elevation of the elder bro- 
d'Anjou; et celle de quatrieme, de Due de ther with the short life of the prince 
Berry. Apres cela il n'y a plus rien de George William, or of the subsequent 
fixe." — Nouvelle Description de la France. suppression of the title which had been 
Amsterd. 1719, p. 47. announced in the London Gazette. 



EARLDOM OF GLOUCESTER. 79 

create his Royal Highness Prince Frederick, eldest son of 
the Prince of Wales, Duke of Gloucester. Several books 
of the period recognise this title ; # but, for some reason now 
unknown (unless it was a difficulty regarding his naturaliza- 
tion, for he never even came to England during his grand- 
father's life), the patent was not proceeded w T ith ; and when, 
in 1726, he was at length advanced to the English peerage 
at the same time as his younger brother the Duke of Cum- 
berland, the title of Gloucester was abandoned, and that of 
Edinburgh substituted. 

On the 19th November, 1764, the titles of Gloucester 
and Edinburgh together were conferred by king George III. 
on his younger brother William Henry. He died in 1805, 
and was succeeded by his only son William Frederick 
the last duke, who died in 1834, leaving no heir, but whose 
widow 7 is still living, and is now the sole surviving daughter 
of king George the Third. 

* The British Compendium, 2nd edit., Magazine for November and December, 

1719; the Compendium for Scotland, 1851, some observations on this subject ; 

1720; and the 4th edition of the British those in the former number by the pre- 

Compendium, 1721. Also in Notitia sent writer, and those in the latter by Sir 

Angiicana, 1724. See in the Gentleman's C. G. Young, Garter. 



80 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HISTORY OF THE 
CITY OF BRISTOL. 

From Documents preserved in the Chapter House, Westminster. 

BY JOSEPH BURTT, ESQ. 

PETITION OF THE MAYOR AND OTHERS AGAINST 
CANDLEMAS FAIR, TEMPORE HENRY VIII. 



PETITION OF THE MERCHANTS AND OTHERS OF BRISTOL 
AGAINST THE FAIR AT CANDLEMAS. 

The following contribution to the history of the trade of 
Bristol appears, on the showing of the document itself, to 
be of some importance. The question it treats of is said 
therein to involve the very existence of the town. While 
the privilege of holding fairs, and the opportunity of en- 
couraging the meeting of buyers and sellers, have generally 
been eagerly sought after and maintained, the trade of 
Bristol in the sixteenth century seems to have been so 
conditioned as to compel the merchants and others affected 
by it to petition against a fair then lately appointed to be 
held at Candlemas. From the allegations in the petition, it 
would appear that the great port of the west was able to 
disseminate the rich stores, collected by its merchants, 
throughout the western counties by means of the inha- 
bitants themselves. The chief effect of the fair appealed 
against seems to be an interference with this regular and 
extensive inland traffic. A matter so important to the 
town has most probably some record among its archives. 
With regard to the result of the petition, perhaps its success 
may be inferred from the fact of the non- occurrence of the 
alternative it declares to be inevitable, " the utter undoyng 
and destruction of the said Towne of Bristowe for ever." 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HISTORY OF BRISTOL. 81 

The document, from which the following copy is made, 
is the original petition to which the municipal seal was 
attached (but which is now destroyed), and was probably 
presented to the Lord Privy Seal. It is preserved in the 
Chapter House, Westminster. 

Joseph Burtt. 

The Complaynt of us Grocers Inhabitants of Bristowe 
agaynst Candelmas ffayre there holden. 

Moost lamentably complayneth unto yo r Lordship yo r dayly 
and pore bedemen the Grocers and haberdasshers Inha- 
bitants within this Towne of Bristowe concernyng the ffayre 
holden at Candelmas, which onlesse you be good unto us 
in the dissolvyng of the same we ar lyke to be utterly 
undone within fewe yeres and not oonly wee but the moost 
parte of all other Inhabitants within the same Towne, ffor 
where as wee for our parte were wonte and customably do 
frequent unto the Cite of London to our great costes and 
charges and then and there do bestowe a great substance of 
money, ye and to say the treuthe the gretest parte of our 
substance, thynkyng therby to have some profytt towardes 
our lyvyng, but the very trewthe is that at that tyme here 
is very great resorte of strangers owte of all parties, and 
there oon stranger selleth to an other at days, that is to say 
from the ffayre of Candelmas untill the iFayre of Saynt 
Jamys and so from the ffayre of Saynt Jamys to Candelmas 
agayne, by meanes wherof we must be driven to sell our 
wares farr better chepe then it cost us, which wilbe our 
utter undoying, orels we must lett it ly by us so long that 
we ar not able to kepe our credence with those which we 
be indetted unto. And moreover and besides that we fere 
lest the contynuance of this ffayre will ffamyshe not oonly 
us but also the moost parte of all the pore people within 
this Towne, ffor at that ffayre our ffishe is sett almoost 
clene away by strangers, and for that litle which remayneth 
for the sustentacion of this Towne (the scarcitie considred) 
is of suche a prise that wee shall not be able to by hit. 
Wherfore we instantly desyre your lordship to tendre this 
our moost lamentable complaynt, and we shall daily pray to 
our Lord Jhesu for the preservacion of your Lordship long 
to contynue. 

[Here follow 17 signatures.] 



82 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HISTORY OF 

The Complaynt of the Drapers of Bristowe and Taylors 
of the same agaynst Candalmas ffayre. 

We the Company of Drapers of the Towne of Bristowe 
complayn and say that the ffayre holden at Candelmas 
within the said Towne is and shall be to the utter undoyng 
of us and of all that shall come after us of our occupacion, 
ffor where as the chifiste lyvyng that we had in all the yere 
was of merchaunds strangers, and specially of men of Irlonde 
and other merchaunds that bryng ffishe at that tyme, and 
we were wont to make them retorne in kerseys and all 
other clothe of all sortes bought of thinhabitantes of this 
Towne, and nowe they will unto the said ffayre at Candel- 
mas and by and sell with other strangers which is to the 
utter undoyng of the Drapers burgeises of the said Towne 
and not oonly to Drapers but also to dyers towkers and 
shermen that have parte of their lyvyng at our handes. 
This ffayre is not oonly discomodyous unto the Drapers 
but also unto the whole Towne of Bristowe and to all the 
contrey about us, by reason of the scarcetie of ffishe and 
derenesse of the same ffor whereas in tymes past all 
strangers ffishermen were wont to resorte to this Towne 
from Myghelmas untill Candelmas at all tymes when wynd 
and wether dyd serve them, and so to make their markett 
and retourne of the same, and nowe though a ballyngar of 
Irlonde be laden with ffishe in Irlond at Myghelmas yet 
they will not come into thise parties but agaynst the ffayre 
and so somtymes wynd and wether will not serve at that 
very tyme, so that they cannot come at all but resorteth 
unto France and Spayne wheras wynd and wether do serve 
them, by reason wherof it causeth here in Bristowe to be 
scarcete and also to be very dere to the great hyndrance of 
the whole Commons of this Towne of Bristowe. 
[Here follow 19 signatures.] 

The Complaynt of the Mercers ffishemongers and Skin- 
ners of Bristowe agaynst Candelmas ffayre 

Wheras we resorte to London and there we bestowe great 
substance of money upon silke and lynyn clothe and so 
bryng it whome, trustyng to gett some money towardes a 
parte of our lyvyng by hit ; Then comyth downe to Bristowe 
Londoners and other mercers strangers with sylks and 



THE CITY OF BRISTOL. 83 

lynyn clothe to the same ffayre and there make sales therof 
and do lend their wares from ffayre to ffayre, so that by 
that meanes they take away our lyvyngs, so that we cannot 
sell our wares for them, which is and will be if this ffayre 
shuld contyne, to our utter undoyng, and for our lyvyng it 
. were moche better to have no ffayre then to have any, ffor 
by us mercers and by other occupations of this Towne as 
merchaunts grocers haberdasshers drapers ffishemongers 
and cappers this Towne is chiefly meynteyned and by noone 
other, and if the same occupations do fayle then fare well 
at the worship of this Towne of Bristowe. 
[Here follow 48 signatures.] 

The Complaynt of the Merchaunts of Bristowe against 
the ffayre of Candelmas 

Fyrst the said merchaunts and owners of shippes of Bris- 
towe do say that the conty nuance of the said ffayre shall 
be the utter distruccion and decay of the navy of the said 
Towne, by reason that all strangers of the parties of beyond 
the sea do resorte with their shippes and ballyngars unto the 
said Towne purposly to serve the same ffayre, to thentent the 
merchaunts strangers may by and sell with other strangers 
and fforeners by the libertie of the said ffayre so freely, 
So that we the merchaunts of the said Towne can have no 
suche utterance of the merchandizes which we bryng whome 
in oure owne shippis as we used to have in suche tyme before 
the said ffayre was purchased. By reason wherof wheras 
our great shippis used to make ij or iij viages in the yere 
nowe scarcely we make with them oon viage in the yere 
so that for lak of utterance of our merchandizes we shall 
be compelled and constrayned to give over our great shippes 
and to use ballyngars and suche other small vessells to the 
utter decay of the navy of the said Towne, and when that 
the navy decayeth and mynysshith then decayeth the mer- 
chaunts, consequently when the merchaunts fayleth or de- 
cayeth then decayeth the whole comons of the said Towne, 
ffor by the trade of merchandizes and by merchaunts ar 
menteyned wevers, towkers, shermen, dyers, an infynyte 
nombre of pore people as spynners and carders for the 
mayntenance of cloth makyng within the said Towne, be- 
sides this the baker bruer and bochour have dayly con- 

g2 



84 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HISTORY OF 

venyent lyvyng for the provision of vi tails for the said shippes, 
and also there be no small nombre of maryners the which all 
their lyvyng do depende upon the navigation of the fflete 
of thisTowne as it is well knowen. And those that be the 
suters for the mayntenance of the said ffayre be towkers 
wevers and vitaillers who for to sell vitailles by the space . 
of viij days in the ffaire tyme to a small profett (as God 
knoweth) do not consyder that all the yere after they have 
their lyvyng by the merchaunts abovesaid, so that if the 
said ffayre have contynuance it shall be the utter undoyng 
to the said towkers and wevers as by their impoverishyng 
dayly do appere, ffor that in tymes past they were men of 
habilitie and of good substance alweis redy to pay unto our 
soveraign Lord the Kyng their porcion of suche charges as 
this Towne have byn appoynted to pay and nowe they be 
hable very lytle or nothyng 

Also all other occupiers the which have none other 
lyvyng but oonly biyng and selling within this Towne do 
saye that the contynuance of this ffayre at Candelmas'will 
be also to their utter undoyng, by reason that where in 
tymes past before the said ffayre was used all maner of 
strangers dyd resorte with their shippes and ballyngars to 
this Towne at all tymes in the yere in suche wise that at 
their handes they bought their wares and merchandises of the 
strangers at suche a reasonable prise that they myght sell 
the same agayn to the naturalls of this land at suche tymes 
when they resorted to this Towne at a convenyent prise 
and havyng a sufficient gaynes by the same towardes their 
lyvyng, which trade was comonly every moneth in the yere 
wheras nowe by reason of this ffayre as well the strangers 
sellers as the stranger byer do appoynt to mete at the said 
ffayre and then bargayneth together to the utter undoyng 
of the occupiers of this Towne, and though the said strangers 
do com to this Towne with their wares and merchandizes a 
moneth or ij before the said ffayre begyn then they do putt 
up and house their said merchandizes in the comon hall 
appoynted and by no meanes will make any sale therof to 
the Inhabytants of this Towne, but kepe it untill the ffayre 
for their owne syngler advantage, the which in contynuance 
will be the utter undoyng and distruction of the said Towne 
of Bristowc for ever The which we pray God defend. 

[Here follow 40 names, apparently all merchants, in 3 



THE CITY OF BRISTOL. 



85 



columns, and 1 1 others, who were " tockars shermen 
and wevars."] 

The names of the Councell of the Towne of Bristowe 
which upon thexamynacion of the good occupiers mer- 
chaunts and others abovenamed craftsmen, which thynketh 
mete the said fFayre holden at the ffeest of the Purificacion 
of our Lady to be extynquyshed and utterly to be dissolved. 



(Signed) 

By me William Shipman late Meyre 
By me William Chester late Meyer 
By me Thomas Gefferis late Meyer 
By me Jno. Spryng late Meyre 
By me Robert Elyott late Meyre 

by me William Balard Sheryffe \ 
by me William Pepwall Sheryffe J 
Per me Wylliam Rowley late Shreve 
by me Rowland Cowper late Shref 
Per me John Mauncell late Schereff 
Per me Wyllyam Pyke late Scheryfe 
by me John Repe late Shrif 
by me Gilbert Cogan late Shrif 
by me Will'm Kelke late Shrif 
by me Robert Adamps late Shriff 
by me John S my the late Shrif 

Anthony Payne late Shrif 
by me John Northall late Shrif 
by me Thomas More late Shrif 

David Harrys late Shrif 
by me Richard Morse late Shrif 
Per me Robert Sexcy late Shrif 



By me Harry Whyt Mayar 
Per me David Brooke Recordator 
By me Rychard Abyntton Alderman 
By me Regyr Coke Aldyrman 
Be my Rychrd Tonell Alderman 
Per Thomam Pacy Aldyrman 
Per me Clement Base Aldyrman 

per me Nych'as Wudhouse late Shrif 
per me Robert Adams late Shrif 
per me John Gervys late Shrif 
by me Wyllyam Yonge late Scheryffe 
by me John Thome laytt Scharaff 
by me Robt Salbrige late Shrif 
by me Nycholas Thome late Shrif 
by me Thomas Sylke late Shrif 
by me Will'm Cary late Shrif 
by me Will'm Aphowelle late Shrif 
by me John Brampton late Shrif 
by me Richard Pryn late Shrif 
Per me Will'm Jay late Shrif 
by me Will'm Sprat late Shrif 
Per me Richard Watley late Shrif 



Label for Seal, but no remains of it. 



The precise period to which the occurrences above stated 
are to be assigned, appears to be a.d. 1542-3, the year 
when Harry Whyte served the office of mayor in the city 
of Bristol. He died at the close of the term of his mayor- 
alty. No complete list of the municipal authorities of 
Bristol has hitherto been published. The information by 
which I have been enabled to ascertain the exact date of 
the foregoing documents, is due to the kindness of one of 
the most zealous and successful investigators of the an- 
cient history of Bristol, Mr. Thomas Garrard, chamberlain 
of that city, to whose obliging attentions the Institute were 
greatly indebted on the occasion of their recent visit. 



86 



COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE MAYOR OF BRISTOL 
BY INHABITANTS OF BRISTOL, 16 EDWARD. II. 



The following document consists of complaints made 
against Richard Tilley, for misconduct in the execution of 
his duty as Mayor. In consequence of these complaints a 
Commission of oyer and terminer was issued under the 
great seal, to Henry Spigurnel and others, under which 
proceedings took place at Bristol early in the 17th year of 
Edward II. This document may therefore be assigned to 
the preceding year. The allegations it contains against the 
Mayor are : — 

That having been appointed a collector of a fifteenth, he 
had retained to his own uses forty marks of the proceeds of 
that collection. 

That he had altered the rolls of other taxors, which were 
delivered to his keeping, by overcharging the amounts to be 
levied upon those who were opposed to him, and by favour- 
ing, or wholly absolving from payment those who were his 
friends. 

That he had permitted foreign merchants to become 
burgesses, on purpose to support him in his office, and to 
re-elect him. 

That he had proceeded against foreigners for infringing 
the franchise, and punished them at pleasure, though such 
jurisdiction belonged only to the Constable ; and had also 
taken fines of wine and money from burgesses for offences, 
the correction of which belonged only to the said Con- 
stable. 

That, finding the commonalty wished to elect another 
Mayor in his place, in consequence of his doings, he hastily, 
before the day of election (St. Michael's day) in the 15th 
year of the King, went to the King, who was then in the 
Isle of Thanet, and informed him that there were many 
people in the said town on whom the King could not trust, 
and so estranged the King's heart from them ; he thereby 



COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE MAYOR. 87 

obtained writs requiring certain of the said town to appear 
before the King, and on his return to Bristol menaced 
many persons therewith, telling them he had the King's 
warrant to do as he pleased with them, and so forced them 
to give him wines and money, and then ordered them to 
remain in their houses and he would protect them. 

That, when the King was at Bristol Castle in the 
14th year, he obtained a grant of tronage # and pesage,f 
and did not present petitions committed to him in favour 
of the town. Having obtained this grant, he so outrage- 
ously collected the said dues that merchants would not sell 
in the town ; and of many he took their weights and scales 
as being forfeited. 

That he had compelled certain inhabitants of the Marsh j 
to come to his courts, and had maintained the privileges 
thereof against the Constable, though the King's ancestors 
had by charter permitted them to answer with the other 
burgesses. 

That, whereas the good men of the town were by charter 
to elect a proper Mayor on St. Michael's day, and were as- 
sembled in the Guildhall for that purpose, the same Richard 
Tilley came with his ribald associates, whom he had re- 
ceived into the franchise to support him, accompanied with 
armed men, and there beat, imprisoned, and threatened 
with death the good men of the town, so that they dare 
not make free election that day ; and then the said evil- 
doers named the said Richard Tilley to the said office, for 
which he gave them presents, and afterwards levied the said 
presents upon the commonalty. 

That he required a present from every ship and boat 
coming to the quay, in addition to what was given to the 
Constable. 

These appear to have been the grounds for complaint as 
originally set out ; but an additional membrane was attached, 
containing fresh grievances, or elaborations of those already 
recited. It commences with a detailed statement in aggra- 
vation of the first charge as to the unfair collection of the 
fifteenth. It then proceeds : — 

That the said Richard Tilley, having to punish the 
bakers who had broken the assize of bread, he had put 

* A custom or toll for weighing wool. f The like for other merchandise. 
% The district of Redcliffe. 



88 COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE MAYOR 

the poor in the pillory and released those who could pay 
him fines. 

That, whereas the good men of the town used to go to 
the castle, and there have honourable and friendly converse 
with the Constable and his lieutenants, the said Richard 
Tilley being enraged thereat, indicted and otherwise an- 
noyed many of the said inhabitants for going there. 

That he had housed many merchants so that their goods 
did not pay custom. 

That he had made presents to those who would retain 
him in office, and compelled the commonalty to repay him, 
alleging that he had incurred expenses for the good of the 
town. 

That he had dealt in wines and victuals while having the 
assize thereof, contrary to the Ordinance. 

And so the King, the town, and the Constable were very 
grievously wronged and injured. 

But it is in the language of the original that these com- 
plaints should be examined, for an abstract can give no 
idea of their terseness and particularity. 

The inquiry into the conduct of the Mayor of Bristol 
to which these proceedings relate, had some connection 
with the events of the unhappy reign in which it occurred. 
Bristol had been the scene of the sad parting between the 
King and Gaveston, when Ireland was assigned as the 
favourite's first place of shelter from the Barons in 1308 ; 
its political importance was considerably increased by the 
younger Spenser's acquisition of his large property by 
marrying one of the co-heiresses of the Earl of Gloucester, 
and whose proceedings in connection with it raised the 
storm which, terminating in the battle of Boroughbridge, 
exhibited to the inhabitants of Bristol the ignominious exe- 
cution of two of the Earl of Lancaster's adherents. And 
the final overthrow of the last favourite's powers was caused 
by the defection of the garrison of Bristol in 1326. But 
also in the year 1316, a serious disturbance, which was 
probably unconnected with political affairs, occurred there. 
Such an opposition was offered to the execution of legal 
process by the sheriff, # that when at last (having been 

* The original letters patent, directing The process was one of outlawry, issued 

all bailiffs and others to assist Aymer de against John le Taverner and others for 

Valence, and those appointed to examine the murder of Alexander de Villers in 

into this matter, is in the Chapter House. Bristol. 



BY INHABITANTS OF BRISTOL. 89 

twice repulsed) he came with his "posse comitatus" he 
found the gates shut against him, " and the whole com- 
monalty, with a multitude of evil-doers ' tarn Baionenses 
quam Wallenses ' prepared to levy war against the King ; 
they had almost dried up the ditch of the Castle ; had de- 
stroyed the Castle mill, and made a ditch in the town be- 
fore the Castle gate, twenty-four feet wide and deep, and 
fortified the same with a strong Peel ; they had raised 
standards, and put up springalds, chains, and other engines 
of war to conquer the Castle,. and then intended to keep 
the town against the King." But the townsmen did not 
long hold out, and a fine of 2,000 marks was paid to the 
King for release from his anger for acts done " since the 
fifth year of the reign." * 

The complainants in the charges made against the Mayor 
were avowedly the partisans of the Constable of the Castle. 
This was no other than the younger Spenser himself, to 
whom the custody both of the town and castle was com- 
mitted after the defeat of the Lancastrian rebellion. f His 
first proceeding was to enlarge and strengthen the Castle 
itself,| and finding, doubtless, that the profits of his office 
were affected by the administration of the Mayor, § who, 
belonging to the Baronial party, || had exerted himself to 
thwart the attempts admitted to have been openly made by 
the Constable to increase his influence in the town, his 
authority was most probably exercised in promoting the 
charges now brought under notice, and prosecuting them 
to judgment. 

* Abb. Rot. Orig. i. 235. || Richard Tilley had been bail for the 

f It had previously been in the charge prior of Lanthony, an adherent of the Earl 

of Bartholomew de Badelesmere, a pro- of Hereford. (Pari. Writs, ii. div.iii. 1512.) 

minent member of the baronial party. It And in the 18th year of the reign he 

was the gross ill-treatment of the Queen was again security for the behaviour of a 

before this baron's castle in Kent, that discharged adherent of the Earl of Lancas- 

proved so fortunate an event for the royal ter. (lb.) There were several individuals of 

party, turning for a time the popular feel- the name in divers counties, one of whom, 

ing in favour of the King, and enabling him Thomas Tilley, was a merchant empowered 

to concert a successful attack upon the to purchase the forced levy of wools in 

barons under colour of avenging a personal Somerset and Dorset. (25 Edward I., Pari, 

insult. Writs, i. 865.) And Henry Tilley, a knight 

t The accounts of these repairs are now of the shire for Huntingdon, was the first- 

in the Queen's Remembrancer's department named of the justices appointed to go to 

at the Carlton Ride. Bristol, to try and sentence these adherents 

§ See Constable's Accounts, at the Carl- of the Earl of Lancaster, from whose exe- 

ton Ride. He appears to have received cution and the miracles said to have been 

profits from the farm of the street where performed by their bodies, certain charges 

the market was held, small tolls on her- were made against Richard Tilley the 

rings and other provisions, customs of mayor, 
cloths, and other articles of merchandise. 



90 COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE MAYOR 

Disorganised as the whole system of government must 
then have been, no attempts were made to check the cor- 
ruption that had again impaired the administration of jus- 
tice,* though many of the King's officers in the provinces 
did not entirely escape. 

Commissions of general inquiry into the conduct of 
taxors and collectors, sheriffs, bailiffs, and others who had 
the duty of levying the various charges upon property, 
were issued in the 12th and 14th years of the reign. 
Another was also issued in the 17th year, and the roll 
of the pleadings taken before the Commissioners so ap- 
pointed for the county of Gloucester is in existence. f 
These commissions were said to be issued in consequence 
of the " false imprisonments, indictments, heavy redemp- 
tions, intolerable distresses for unjust causes, and other 
extortions in money and goods/' alleged to have been im- 
posed upon the people. The complaints made against the 
Mayor of Bristol may be considered as an example of these 
charges, affected however by the local circumstances pre- 
viously referred to. The roll of pleadings, taken before the 
Justices assigned to inquire into these particular charges, is 
also in existence ; J and an examination shows that the 
prosecutors succeeded in establishing a considerable propor- 
tion of their complaints. The jury impanelled upon the 
occasion affirmed that the said Richard Tilley had received 
strangers as burgesses without payment, that they should 
assist in his election as Mayor — that he had taken fines of 
certain bakers sentenced to the pillory — that he had housed 
foreign merchants, and so the King had lost custom — that 
he had impeded the election of Mayor, and that he had 
improperly taken 24/. belonging to the commonalty. To 
some complaints he did not answer, and of others he was 
acquitted. It is evident that the charges most pressed 
related to municipal affairs. The allegation of unfairness 
in taxing his opponents does not seem to have been estab- 
lished ; it was one to which all such officers were, and had 
always been exposed ; easy to make, but difficult to prove. 

The result was that the Mayor was certainly imprisoned ; 
but he seems to have compounded for his misdeeds by pay- 
ing a fine of 40/. to the King ; and in the case of the 

* Foss's Judges of England, iii. 205. f Now at the Carlton Ride. 

J Also at the Carlton Ride. 



BY INHABITANTS OF BRISTOL. 91 

municipal 24/., six times the amount was to be recovered. 
Forty marks damages were also adjudged to various per- 
sons who were imprisoned for being present where Montfort 
was hung. The favour with which the exertions of the 
Earl of Lancaster against the King's favourites had been 
viewed by the people at large and the clergy, was extended 
to his adherents. As in the case of the Earl, miracles were 
said to have been performed at the place where Henry de 
Montfort, Henry de Wylington, and other rebels, had been 
hung at Berton, nigh Bristol. # A strange portion of the 
proceedings against the Mayor seems to have been his pro- 
secution by the King's attorney, for maliciously imprison- 
ing Robert le Roo and Peter, for ministering to those who 
came to worship there. He was saved from a conviction 
by the production of letters under the King's privy seal, 
directing him to do all in his power to hinder those pro- 
ceedings, which were a great scandal to the King. But in 
another case a conviction was obtained. 

It would be highly interesting to trace the results of 
these proceedings upon the City of Bristol itself, if such 
were possible. 

Joseph Burtt. 

A. Cestes sunt parties des grevaunces que Richard Tilloy 
Meyre de Bristut ad fait en meisme la ville 

Vocatur recordum quod inde finem facit coram H.f 

Par la, au Richard Tilloy feust esleu Meyre de la ville de 
Bristut et par son serment charge pur le profit et la franchise 
de la ville meintenir a son p . . . . j et sur ce pur ses custages 
prent de la commune par an une certeyne summe de deners. 
Et nadgeres que le quinze dener feut graunte a nostre 
seignur le Roi en la dite ville. Et pur la dite quinzyme furent 
ordenez taxours et cuillours, les queux lour office au profit 
nostre seignur le Roi loiaument firent, et les deners de ce 
levez entierement baillerent au dit Richard. Et il aprochea 
Sire Richard de Wotton clerk del Eschekere et ove li fit 
une . . . . de sessaunte et cynk livres dargent pur la quin- 
zyme avantdite, - dont il fesoit le paiement et retynt a son 

* In Foed.II.pt. i. pp. 536-547, are pre- t In a different hand to the text. It 

cepts directing proceedings against those refers to the pleadings alluded to in the 

worshipping and assembling at Berton. introduction. 
These are subsequent to the proceedings + (poair ?) 

against the Mayor. 



92 COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE MAYOR 

profit demeigne, tout le surplusage de la quillette avant 
dite que amonta xl. marcs et plus, encontre son serment, et 
as griefs damages du Roi et au damage de tote la commu- 
naute avant dite. 

B. Estre ce, quant di verses taillages unt este graunt^z a nostre 
seignur le Roi en la dite ville, et pur di verses dettes et 
charges de la dite ville paier soient faits certeynes gentz 
taxours que unt este esleux et jurez a loiaument chequn 
homme de la ville selom la quantite de ses chateux et biens 
taxer, et puis le roule du tax unt au dit Richard livere, dont 
il de sa volente demeygne ad fait encrestre les taillages de 
plousurs a, qi il estoit mauvoillant, et as autres ses bien- 
voillantz, lour taillages amenuses, et par les roules issint 
chaungez ad livere as cuillours pur les taillages lever. Et 
puisque les cuillours unt destreint les uns des bienvoillantz 
le dit Richard pur le taillage lever et lour office faire, la, vient 
le dit Richard as plousours comande lour destresces deliverer 
et as plousours fait final pardoun, a graunt damage de la 
commune avantdite, et ce suete ad il fait as plusours pur 
lour voiz et lour assent avoir pur demorir en loffice de 
Meyre, au graunt damage du Roi. 

C. Et plusours marchantz estranges qi font lour custumes 
au Roi par lour marchandises et auxi plousours autres 

estrangers ribaudz de male riens ne unt il les 

resceyt en la franchise et les fait Burgeys par sa auctorite 
demeygne, pur li autre foiz eslire et meyntenir en loffice de 
Meyre, entollaunt lavantage de les custumes nostre seignur 
le Roi et due eslection de Meyre, contre son serment, et en 
blemissement de la franchise et au damage du Roi et gre- 
vance de la ville avantdite. 

Estre ce, par grevouses destresses sovent fait venir devant 
li en la Gilhale plusours gentz estranges, et les fait aresner 
qil unt gryevement mespris contre la franchise a commun 
damage par la ou il nule jurisdiccion nad mes tout apental 
office de Conestable, dont les uns se mettent en enqueste 
et trovez sont coupables et les autres sovente foiz atteintz 
par defaute de lour loi gagee, des queux il prent amendes a 
sa volente et ascuns diverses fyns font son gree, les queux il 
receyt tout a son profit demeigne, au graunt damage du Roi 
et du Conestable et a graunt charge et damage du commun 
poeple, par quoi plousours marchantz se esloignent et se 
doutent de illuques venir ovc lour marchandises par les 



BY INHABITANTS OF BRISTOL. 93 

grevances avantdites .... entissement de la ville avant- 
dite. 

Estre ce, par la, ou le Conestable ad plenere jurisdiccion 
et conissance de touz trespas, sovente fois le dit Meyre 
devant li en la Gilhale tient divers pletz, et plusours Bur- 
geys de la dite ville fait aresner et lur surmet qil unt mes- 
pris contre lui et contre la franchise et qil unt .... de- 
savenantes devers sa personne, dont par sa graunde escotye 
a due aquitance ne poent avenir et issi est il meismes partie 
et justice en sa presence demeigne et prynt de eaux fynz et 
amerciementz et les uns fait mettre en dure et forte prison, 
tant qil eient fait gree a son pleisir. Et des uns prent 
toneux de vyn a sa eslite demeigne, et des uns deux pipes 
de vyn et des plusours autres de chequn une pipe et 
des chesquns c. s. dargent et des uns xl. s. et de asqun 
un mark, au graunt damage nostre seignur le Roi et en 
blemissment de la jurisdiction lavantdit Conestable, et a 
graunt charge et destruction du poeple. 

Estre ce, sovente foiz en la Gilhale pur une defaute, que 
un Burgoys fait de ce qil ne vyent a sa somonse quant il 
tient ses pletz . . . mentz et autres pleez ; il le amercie 
en. xl. deners et asquns a plus, les queux, il fait lever, a 
son profit demeigne, au grievef damage du Roi et du Cones- 
table, et a graunt destruccion du poeple avantdit. 
D. Estre ce, par la, ou le dit Richard feut aparceu que par 
divers damages et grevances, qil avoit fait la Commune 
voloit un autre eslire al office de Meyre ; hastivement devant 
lafeste Seynt Michael jour de eleccioun du Meyre en Ian du 
regne nostre Seignur le Roi Edward que ore est quinzyme 
le dit Richard aprochea nostre Seignur le Roi en lysle de 
Tanet et li fit entendant qil ne poait sauvement afier en 
plousours gentz de la dite ville, en alloignant le quer le 
seignur de ses liges gentz, par quele suggestioun il purcha- 
cea illuques plusours briefs de la targe (?) as plousurs bone 
gentz de la dite ville, que hastivement veu le comandement 
des ditz briefs totes autres choses lessees venissent au Roi . . . 
en Engleterre, dont le dit Meire a son revenir a Bristut par 
colour des ditz briefs manacea plusurs bone gentz de la dite 
ville et lour intendant qil avoit suffisant garant du Roi de 
eaux amener et mettre a sa volente, dount pur le graunt 
affray qe eaux eurent de lescotye .... ces avantdites, et 
pur doute denprisonement damages que grevances que le 



94 COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE MAYOR 

dit Richard lur fyt, severaument firent lour fyns et raun- 
ceouns pur deux toneux de vyn pris de xij. mars, et ascuns 
pur plus, et ascuns pur c. s. dargent et puis les comanda a 
demorir a lostel en son poair et qil les sauvereit sans 
damage, les queux fyns et raunceouns il ad resceu, a graunt 
destructioun du poeple et damage nostre seignur le Roi. 

E. Estre ce, a la Pasche quant nostre seignur le Roi feut a 
son Chastel de Bristut en Ian de son regne quatorzysme, 
certeynes peticions furent ordonez pur commun profit et 
liverez au dit Richard pur faire la priere a nostre seignur le 
Roi que de sa grace les voloit comander, par la le dit 
Richard pur son profit demeigne pria au Roi et purchacea 
Tronage et Peysage de la ville de Bristut sanz rien parler de 
les communes peticiouns, les quels Tronage et Peysage il 
prent et cuille outrageousment de touz marchantz passantz 
par la dite ville tout ne soient lour marchandises en la dite 
ville mises a vente ne vendues. Et des plousurs il prent 
lour poys, balances, et auncels et dit qil soient forfait a lui et 
issent cleyme forfait et roial poair, en desheritance du Roi, 
par quoi plusurs marchantz estranges se esloignent, dont 
les custumes et les profitz . . . meyndres qil ne soloient 
estre par tieux extorciouns, et plusurs autres purprises sur 
le Roi par le dit Richard faitz, a grief damage du Roi et de- 
struction de sa ville avantdite. 

Estre ce, la ou les progenitours nostre seignur le Roi unt 
graunte par lour chartres as touz ses burgoys meynantz en 
le Maroys de la dite ville destre entendantz et responantz 
la ou ses autres comburgoys de sa dite ville respounent et 
nemye aillours, et les chartres en Eyre des Justices alloues, 
la vient le dit Richard par colour de rentes qil ad en le dit 
Maroys purcheace del feffement William Arthur et cleyme 
franchise avoir et par attachmentz et destresces fait plusurs 
bone gentz a sa curt venir, et prent fyns et amerciementz ou 
son fefFour nule Curt navoit ne nule curt illuques ne tynt. 

F. Estre ce, il chalange avoir ses Curtz hors de Tunderye 
de tote manere des contractz et trespas faiz deyns le lieu, 
ou il ad les dites rentes purcheaces, et dit que la jurisdiccioun 
appent a lui et nemye au Conestable, a desheritance du 
Roi et commun damage de la dite ville. 

G Estre ce, par la, ou les bone gentz de la dite ville par 
cli verses chartres des franchises par les progenitours nostre 
seignur le Roi a eux grauntez chequn an duement eslire un 



BY INHABITANTS OF BRISTOL. 95 

profitable Meyre pur qi eux voloient respondre, et ore le 
jour de Seint Michel prochein passe furent assemblez en la 
Gilhale de due electioun faire, la vynt le dit Richard Tilly 
ove plusurs ribaudz de male fame les queux il ad resceu en 
la franchise pur li meintenir ove autres mesfessours et gentz 
armees, et en la Gilhale entrerunt et ascunes bone gentz ba- 
tirent et ascuns mistrent en dure prisoun, e les autres ma- 
nascerent de morir, si eux autre Meire elussent que le dit 
Richard, pur quoi les bone gentz de la dite ville due ne 
franche electioun ne osasent faire a la journee, mes en 
graunt doute se tyndrent en pees sanz nul nomer ou eslire 
al office de Meire, dount les ditz mesfessours ensemblement 
ove autres estrangez procurez illuques venir pur noise faire 
et crier, nomerement le dit Richard al office de Meire. Et 
pur ce que . . . . queux la ville est meyntenue ne voloient 
assentir a li il procura issi, a monsieur Richard de Rode- 
noye adonque tenaunt leu le Senescall .... dona x. 
mars dargent et un tonel de vyn pris de cynk mars. Et 
puis dona a Sire Johan de Donestaple xl. s. pur li receyvire 
pur Meire, pur queux dons les ditz messieurs Richard et 
Johan de Donestaple rescevrent le dit Richard al office de 
Meyre et recevrent son serment, dont meintenant apres 
qil feut receu il fit aresner plusurs bone gentz que nassen- 
tirent point a sa eleccioun et les mist en prison et plusurs 
a grief rauncoun, e puis par grevouses destresces les ad fait 
lever et receu a son profit demeigne, et par les avantditz 
dons qil dona a Sire Richard de Rodeneye et Johan de Do- 
•nestaple il ad fait lever chequn dener de la commune, et 
lour ad surmys qil les dona pur commun profit la ou il les 
dona pur .... demeigne, a grief damage du Roi et a graunt 
anientissement de la ville avantdite. 

Estre ce, par la ou tote manere de jurisdictioun de la 

pur colour del 

kayage et panage que le Roi a graunte en aide de sa dite 

ville et ad ordene un baillif portant une verge en 

comandement le dit Richard entre en chequne neef et batel 
que viegnent a la kaye et les march antz et mariniers amo- 
veste, .... tote manere des vitailles dont les dites neefs 
et bateux sont charges un covenable present au meire 
envoier et sanz .... il ... . primer descharge ce faire 
ne vuillent, il lur manasse de forfaitures et dautres en- 
chesons estre entaglez devant le Meire de queux ils ne 



96 COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE MAYOR 

purront eschaper, ne ne deyvent sans damage, dont les mar- 
chantz et les mariners de les dites neefs pur les meschiefs 
eschaper . . . devant ces houres soloient presentz de di- 
verses vitailles au lieutenant le Conestable du Chastiel 
envoier, et plusurs autres ... a eux faire ore de ce se 
retreent et cessent de profit a eux faire pur le graunt 
charge des presentz qil fount au Meyre, a graunt damage du 
Conestable et grevouse charge des marchantz et mariners 
avant ditz. 
(Mem. 2.) Estre ce, la ou le sysme dener feut grante a nostre seignur 
A. le Roi qore est des Citez et Burghs Ian de son regne sesyzme 
et par briefs retornables .... baillifs de la franchise de 
Bristut feut comande tote les gentz deynz la precencte de 
la dite franchise loiaument taxer et tout le tax loiaument 
par bones gentz et loiaux au profit le Roi cuiller, par vertu 
del dit mandement certeine gentz furent esleux taxours et 
par lour serment charge de loiaument chequn home de la 
franchise solom la porcioun de ses biens et chateux taxer, 
les queux issint firent, et puis lour roules au Meyre par les 
baillifs livererent, dont le dit Meire prist une doszeyne de 
;sa covine par queux il fait enditer ceaux vers qi il ad grossur 
de cuer et les . . . . cuillurs del sisme dener avantdit et puis 
fit changer les roules les taxours en acressaunt la summe 
du tax sur les nouns devers . . . . il estoit mauvoillaunt 
et amenusaunt la summe de cheux, vers queux il estoit bien- 
voillant, et son noun demeigne et plusurs autres ousta il 
.... neet et les nouns des asquns que rien ne paierent 
fit mettre en roule entre ceux que furent taxes et paieruntt 
Et puis prist parti de summe de ceaux que furent taxez et 
paierent et le mist sus les nouns de ceaux que reins ne 
paierent, en supposant que ceaux de taxours ne ussent 
paiez la ou unqes rein ne paierent, dont fut cuilli des gentz 
de la ville cent livres et plus plusque namonterent les roules 
du tax liverez a Lescheqere nostre seignur le Roi par les 
chief taxours del Counte, les queux c. li. et plus del sur- 
plusage avantdite fut departiz entre le Meire et les Cuillurs 
de sa covyne, au grievef damage du Roi et des gentz de la 
ville avantdite. 
E. Estre ce, la ou le Conestable ad jurisdiccioun del assise 
de payn et les pestours qil trovera cupables que unt ofFendu 
lassise par usage de la ville les fait liverer au Meire au per- 
fumer le jugement de pillory et pleynement lexecucioun de 



BY INHABITANTS OF BRISTOL. 97 

ce faire, la vient le dit Meire puis que les corps des pes- 
tours li sont liverez come atteyntz davoir lour jugement 
de pillory ; et les uns que sont povres, le met a jugement de 
pillory, et les autres par divers fyns suffre aler a large sanz 
nule execucioun de ce a eux faire, a graunt damage du Roi 
et blemissement al office du Conestable avantdit. 

Estre ce, par la ou ascunes bone gentz de la ville soloient 
venir au Chastel et illuqes ove les lieu tenantz le Cone- 
stable parler et les honurer pur amiste norir entre le Cone- 
stable et ses lieu tenantz et les bone gentz de la ville, la 
vient le dit Richard Tilly de ce eyaunt graunt indignacioun 
par le consail Johan le Taverner, Robert de Holhurst, Cle- 
ment Turcle, Robert Martyn, William Chaumfiour et autres 
xij. hommes de sa covyne que prests sunt, as ses comande- 
mentz de plousurs bones gentz vers queux il ad aqune in- 
dignacioun, de diverse mavoite enditer et querent enchesons 
parpensement, par malice de grever les ditz bone gentz et 
les fait aresoner devant li et lur met sure qil unt este au 
Chastel, et illuques a les lieutenantz, le Conestable, son 
consail et le consail de la ville contre lur surment unt des- 
covert et nul reppouns covenable ne veut accepter, eynz 
les tient come atteyntz de fausete et ascuns par meismes 
les enchesons met a grevouse ranceoun et les fait lever a 
son oeps demeigne par quoi plusurs gentz se doutent graunt- 
ment nul a vantage, honur, ou profit fere as ceaux du Chastel 
ne par les graunt escoties, extorciouns et mesprises le com- 
mune profit de la ville ordener, ne meyntener. 

Estre ce, par la ou tote manere des custumes sont ap~ 
pendantz al Office de Conestable et plusurs marchantz 
estranges de Amy as viegnent a la dite ville de Bristut ove 
Waide et autres mers et marchandies, et sont herberges 
t ove lour meers et marchandies a la meson Richard Tilly, 
dont le dit Richard avowe les mers et marchandies de les 
marchantz estranges a sa meson herberges par les suens 
propres et come son chatel demeigne entollant la custume 
de meismes les marchandies dues au Roi et les forfaitures 
dues auxi au Roi par la reson de nouncustume par la- 
vowerie le dit Richard conceles et desturbees, au graunt 
damage du Roi et encontre loffice le Conestable avantdit. 

Estre ce, par la ou le dit Richard doune les graunt dons 
et presentz par li meyntener en loffice de Meire, et auxi arks 
et arblasts et autres divers dons par amiste avoir en Court 

H 



98 COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE MAYOR, ETC. 

et aillurs en pais, la, vient le dit Richard as seneschaux de la 
ville Bristut que unt les deners de la Communaute de la 
dite ville en garde a les despendre pur commune profit, et 
le dit Richard lour fait entendant que il ad mis divers mises 
et custages par commune profit et par sa meistrie lour fait 
a. li bailler de communes deners, totes maneres de mises, 
custages, presentz et autres despens qil meismes par son 
simple dit vodra dire qil ad despendu, et issi le dit Richard 
se fait large et avance ses busoignes demeygne des com- 
munes biens a. son singuler profit, au graunt damage et 
empovrissement de la ville avantdite. 

Estre ce, par la, ou par commun consail Dengleterre feut 
ordene a Everwyk, que nul ministre en Cite nen Burgh qe 
par reson de office deut garder lassise des vyns et des 
vitailles tant come il serroit entendant a eel office ne mar- 
chander des vyns ne de vitailles en gros ne a retaille sur 
grieve forfaiture, la vient le dit Richard Meire et marchande 
des vyns et des vitailles en la dite ville, contre le ordenance 
del estatut avantdite, dont il meismes esteant en loffice de 
Meyr par la graunt doute que les gentz de la ville unt de 
lui nul tort ne poet estre trove en lui ne forfaiture au profit 
le Conestable a qi les forfaitures de la ville appendent ne 
poent estre leves, au graunt damage du Conestable avantdit. 



99 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATUE OF THE 
DYING GLADIATOR AT ROME. 

Read at Bristol, August 1st, 1851. 

BY JAMES YATES, ESQ., F.KS. 



My attention was some time ago recalled to the subject of 
this famous statue, by the following remarks of an able and 
intelligent traveller : — 

" The fifth and last room in the Museo Capitolino is the 
Chamber of the Dying Gladiator, so called after the well- 
known chef d'ceuvre of ancient Greece, which appears in 
the middle, a conspicuous and eminently beautiful object. 
It is only surprising, that the character of a figure now 
generally admitted to have been intended for a Gaul and 
not a gladiator, was so long mistaken by connoisseurs and 
antiquarians ; since now, not only is the perfection of the 
sculpture generally esteemed identical with a period of art 
long antecedent to the introduction of gladiators, but the 
ligature round the neck, previously supposed to be an im- 
plement of disgrace, is unequivocally recognised as the 
honorary distinction of a Gaul, the Torques."* 

Sir George Head is, I believe, correct in this account of 
the prevalent opinion. So far as I have the means of 
knowing, antiquaries have now very generally adopted the 
hypothesis of Nibby, that this statue was executed in 
Greece, a considerable time before the Christian era, and 
was intended to represent a Gaul dying on the -field of 
battle. 

I propose to examine briefly the grounds of this opinion, 
and in so doing it is necessary to review 7 the various theories 
advanced upon the subject. 

L.ofC. 

* Sir George Head's Rome, Vol. II. p. 18. 

H 2 



100 OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATUE OF 

The original opinion, and that which I propose to defend, 
is expressed by the designation first given to this statue, 
" The Dying Gladiator."* It was founded upon the shield 
on which he was lying, the sword, the bleeding wound in 
his side, his attitude, his drooping head, the painful de- 
spairing expression of his countenance, and the fact that 
gladiators were represented by sculpture, and that such 
representations were agreeable to the taste of the Romans 
under the empire. Maffei, the first who published any 
minute account of the statue, imagined the article upon the 
Gladiator's neck, resembling a halter, to be the noose which 
was used by the description of gladiators, called laqueatores, 
to catch and destroy their adversaries.! 

In opposition to the hitherto received theory, Winckel- 
mann, assuming that the statue was made in Greece and in 
the finest period of Greek art, asserted that it could not 
possibly be a gladiator, because at that period gladiatorial 
combats were quite unknown to the Greeks. He main- 
tained that the dying man is a herald : he produced from 
the Greek mythology some examples of heralds who might 
be specially intended, and he endeavoured to show that 
both a cord round the neck and a horn such as that on the 
plinth of the statue, might have been used by a herald, 
whereas the horn could never have been worn by a gla- 
diator. \ Notwithstanding the great authority of this emi- 
nent critic, his explanations of the adjuncts of the statue 
have not obtained currency ; but later writers, though they 
do not follow Winckelmann in supposing a herald to be 
meant, nevertheless agree with him in regard to the age 
and country of the statue. 

An important light was thrown upon the subject by 
M. Mongez in the second volume of the Memoir es de 
Vlnstitut. He proves that the statue represents a dying 
barbarian. He argues chiefly from the features of the 
countenance, which are not such as belong to the ideal 
beauty of Grecian art ; from the hair, which is short and 
rather bristly ; from the moustache on the upper lip, and 
from the article on the neck, which he showed to be not a 
cord or noose, but a collar. At the same time he asserted 
that the statue did not represent a gladiator, maintaining 

* See note A. f See note B. 

+ Hutoire de I' Art, T. III. pp. 41—45. 



THE DYING GLADIATOR AT ROME. 101 

that this profession was too ignoble and degraded to be 
exhibited in sculpture. 

Visconti follows in the track of Mongez. " The short 
and bristly hair," says he, "the moustache, the profile of 
the nose, the form of the eyebrow, and the kind of collar 
{torques) , all concur to denote a barbarian warrior, perhaps 
a Gaul or German, mortally wounded and courageously 
expiring on the field of battle, which is covered with arms 
and martial instruments. The common opinion," he con- 
tinues, " that this is a dying gladiator, has no positive 
foundation, and this statue has little conformity with the 
acknowledged statues of gladiators. The group erroneously 
called Paetus and Arria is analogous to this, and both sculp- 
tures probably served to decorate a monument set up in 
Rome, to exalt some conqueror of the Gauls or Germans, 
perhaps Caesar or Germanicus."^ 

The last opinion which I have to mention is that of 
Professor Nibby, the same in substance as that which I 
have already stated in the words of Sir George Head. 
Nibby maintains that it is not the statue of a gladiator, 
but of a Gaul or Celt, and probably one of those employed 
in an unsuccessful expedition against Delphi ; and he con- 
jectures that it may have been the corner figure of a group 
which filled the tympanum of a pediment. f Our learned 
and accomplished colleague, Mr. Charles Newton, adopts 
the same view, at least in regard to the age of the 
statue.J 

Upon this point, the age of the statue, the decision of 
the main question, its subject, seems to depend ; for the 
remark of Winckelmann is obviously true that, if the statue 
was made in Greece, and at a time when the more ancient 
Greeks had attained to the highest perfection in sculpture, 
or, to speak more precisely, in the third or fourth century 
before Christ, it cannot have represented a gladiator. 
Upon this question it would be presumptuous in me to 
speak with any certainty. But I believe I may state that 
some of the best judges of ancient art think that, under the 
empire, sculpture continued to be practised in such a high 
degree of excellence, that the so called " Dying Gladiator " 

* See note C Cap. as already quoted. 

f See Effiemeridi Litterarie di Roma, } Museum of Classical Antiquities, 

Fascic. 7. April, 1821 ; referred to in Mus. July, 1851, pp. 214—216. 



102 OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATUE OF 

may certainly have been executed during that period. In 
regard to the " Macedonian period," as it is called, I may 
remark that we want authentic standards of comparison ; 
for the Laocoon, and the so called Psetus and Arria, are 
subject to the same uncertainty as the " Dying Gladiator :" 
all these may be referred to the later date. On the other 
hand, we have much better means of judging of the state of 
the art in Rome, during the two or three first centuries after 
Christ. As far as I know, the age of the Antinous has not 
been disputed. The bas-reliefs on the Trajan and Anto- 
nine columns, and on not a few triumphal arches, prove 
that great attention was bestowed upon sculpture during 
this period. It is acknowledged that the artists excelled 
more especially in portrait or the exhibition of real life, and 
this seems the kind of excellence required to produce the 
" Dying Gladiator."* It is also well known that then, as 
much as ever before, the opulent Romans profusely adorned 
their houses, their gardens, and their sepulchres, with the 
best statues ; that Greek sculptors still resorted to Rome ; 
and that some of the emperors, especially Hadrian, encou- 
raged the art in every possible way and with the most 
laudable munificence. On these grounds I am of opinion 
that the "Dying Gladiator" is not too good a work to have 
been produced under the empire. 

If this point be conceded, I think the way is opened to 
the vindication of its old name, and to a clear and consis- 
tent account of the design of the sculptor in its execution. 

I do not say that this statue represents a Gaul ; because 
I think it as likely that it represents a Briton, a German, a 
Frank, a Batavian, a Belgian, a Goth, or a Dacian. But it 
certainly represents an individual belonging to one of those 
powerful nations which at the period in question were 
engaged in long and strenuous conflicts with the Romans. 
This I infer on the same grounds which I have already 
mentioned in stating the opinions of Mongez, Visconti, and 
Professor Nibby. 

Now, that we may understand the conception of the 
sculptor in the execution of this statue, it is necessary for 
us to notice the condition and character of gladiators, and 
the sentiments of the Roman people in regard to them ; 
and with this view I beg to quote a passage from a Latin 

* See note D. 



THE DYING GLADIATOR AT ROME. 103 

author little known, and not used by the writers on the 
amphitheatre, but affording, as it seems to me, very decisive 
and important information. The passage occurs in the 
panegyric pronounced before the emperor Constantine, at 
Treves, by the courtly orator Eumenius. He is describing 
the devastation committed by Constantine in the north of 
Germany, and among other circumstances he relates the 
following :— " Puberes, qui in manus venerunt, quorum nee 
perfidia erat apta militise, nee ferocia servituti, ad pcenas 
spectaculo dati, ssevientes bestias multitudine sua fatiga- 
runt."* Here is a reference to three distinct modes of 
disposing of captives. Either they were transferred to the 
Roman army, if they could be trusted as soldiers ; or they 
were consigned to slavery, if their disposition was mild 
and tractable; or, if they had not these qualifications, their 
dreadful lot was to appear on the arena for the gratification 
of their conquerors. Here they were obliged either to 
contend with wild beasts, or with one another, in mortal 
conflict. The consequence of the adoption of this principle 
of selection was, that the bravest soldiers, the most ardent 
patriots, and the principal officers and noblemen of the 
conquered nations, were sometimes consigned to the train- 
ing of the lanista. The same orator whom I have quoted, 
mentions two Frankish kings, Ascaric and Regaisus, who, 
as he says, were thus ' ' punished for their crimes " (c. 1 l)f. 
Moreover, the Roman people regarded gladiators, thus qua- 
lified and selected, with the highest admiration. We read 
of one description of gladiators, who were especial favour- 
ites, and were called " essedarii." They derived their name 
from the essedum, a war chariot used by the Gauls, But 
such chariots could only have belonged to the chieftains. 
Although, therefore, there is in my opinion no proof that 
they appeared in their chariots on the arena, as many anti- 
quaries have supposed, there can be no doubt, that they 
held a high rank in Gaul, their native country. 

In the piece of sculpture which is the subject of the 
present inquiry, the tore, most clearly exhibited on the neck 
of the dying man, is a decisive indication of his rank. 
It was bestowed as an honour, and a sign of merit. It was 
made either of gold or bronze. I conceive the sculptor in 
the present instance to have had in view a bronze tore, and 

* Duodccim Panegyrici Veteres, VI. 12. f See note E. 



104 OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATUE OF 

on this supposition it must have been identical in substance, 
and perhaps even identical in form with that fine example 
of this military decoration of the ancient Britons, which 
was found with two bronze celts, at no great distance 
from Bristol, which is described and figured in the Archaeo- 
logia, # and which is at this very moment placed for 
inspection in our temporary museum. 

But this, I apprehend, is not the only circumstance 
about our statue, which admits of explanation from the 
archseology of the north of Europe. The horn, which 
lies beneath the wounded man, has never been explained.! 
For I cannot accede to the loose remark of Visconti, that 
he is " expiring on the field of battle, which is covered with 
" arms and martial instruments" We must suppose all 
the adjuncts of the statue to have had some special refe- 
rence to the subject : they must have been intended to 
indicate who and what the individual was ; and, if the 
sword, tore, and shield belonged to him, the horn must 
have belonged to him likewise. It may be remarked 
further, that the horn intended to be represented, was a 
bronze horn. Now, we have satisfactory proof, that such 
horns were used in battle by the Northern nations. Lucan 
speaks of the " cruel Batavi, whom harsh trumpets incited 
with curved bronze." 

" Batavosque truces, quos cere recurvo 
Stridentes acuere tuba;." PharsaL, L. I. 431. 

Still more decisive evidence is afforded by the discovery 
of these bronze horns in the tombs of ancient warriors, 
and in other situations thoughout the north of Germany, 
and in the adjoining countries. They are sometimes of 
great length, and formed so as to fit the body of the wearer 
and to be suspended over his shoulder. One of these 
singular horns, preserved in the museum at Copenhagen, J 
is represented in the Earl of Ellesmere's Guide to Northern 
Archaeology (p. 52) . Three are in the museum at Schwerin,§ 
and of that which is the most perfect I obtained the following 
dimensions and description : — Its length is 1 metre, 45 centi- 
metres ( = 1 yard, 21 in.). Its form (see the wood-cut) is 
such that, being hung by the chain over the right shoulder 

* See note F. Dublin. These have not the flange at the 

t See note G. mouth piece, which appears in the Schwerin 

X There is a remarkable collection of horn. 

bronze horns, some of great length, in the § Lisch, Frederico Fr-ancisbeum, p. 

museum of the Royal Irish Academy in 117, 118. Tab. jig. 3. 





Actual Dimensions of the Two APEBTrEES of the above Bbonze 
Hoen at Schwebin. 



THE DYING GLADIATOR AT ROME. 105 

of the wearer it passes close to his body behind his back 
and under his right arm, so as nearly to encircle his body. 
Mr. Lisch, the learned and zealous conservator of the 
museum, told me that these horns are found in the tombs 
of the bronze period ; that they are in fact found in 
those tombs of the old Germans, which also contain tores. 
When I heard these facts, and saw this fine instrument of 
ancient German warfare, it immediately suggested to me 
the solution of the only remaining difficulty respecting the 
accoutrements of the "Dying Gladiator." 

Besides the trumpet (tuba), which was straight, the 
Romans also used to some extent the horn (cornu), which 
was curved. The soldier who used it, was called cornicen ; 
and his business was to incite and lead on the troops to 
battle, and to give other signals at the command of the 
general. In rank he was greatly superior to a private, and 
that he was held in honour appears from various ancient 
monuments still in existence, which were set up in re- 
membrance of cornicines* Having proved, that the 
northern nations of Europe also used this instrument in 
battle, I think the inference seems inevitably to follow, 
that the dying warrior before us had been the cornicen of 
his native army. Thus the tore upon his neck denotes his 
rank and his merit ; the horn, which has fallen broken from 
his body, denotes his office.f 

It remains, that I should consider the subject of this 
statue, as indicated by the attitude of the dying man and 
the remarkable expression of his countenance. It appears 
to me that these do not favour the modern hypothesis. 
A fierce, bold, and determined warrior, even at the moment 
of death, would not have his eyes fixed upon the ground. 
His attitude would be of that kind which we see exhibited 
in this building, in the groups of the iEgina marbles, where 
there are fallen and dying warriors, but in a far different 
mood, looking round them to watch the course of the battle, 
sympathising with their friends and protectors, and placid 
even in approaching death, j That look of the " Dying 
Gladiator," which has now rivetted attention for more than 
three hundred years, tells a far deeper tragedy than the 
ordinary death of a soldier. It is that of a man absorbed 

* Gruter, p. 571. 1106. t See note H. 

X See note I. 



106 OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATUE OF 

in thought, of a brave and noble nature, deploring the 
hard fate to which he has been compelled to submit, and 
in sustaining which he has no friend or comforter. 

The description of Lord Byron coincides so exactly with 
my own ideas, that I will take the liberty of quoting it, 
although familiar to my hearers : — 

" He leans upon his hand. His manly brow 

Consents to death, but conquers agony, 

And his droop'd head sinks gradually low, 

And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow 

From the red gash, fall heavy, one by one, 

Like the first of a thunder-shower; and now 

The arena swims around him. He is gone 
Ere ceased th' inhuman shout, which hail'd the wretch who won. 



He heard it, but he heeded not. His eyes 
Were with his heart, and that was far away. 
He reck'd not of the life he lost, nor prize ; 
But, where his rude hut by the Danube lay, 
There were his young barbarians all at play, 
There was their Dacian mother, he, their sire, 
Butcher'd to make a Roman holiday ; 
All this rush'd with his blood. Shall he expire, 
And unavenged ? — Arise ! ye Goths, and glut your ire." 

Childe Harold, IV. 140, 141. 

It has often been remarked, that we owe no thanks to 
the man who robs us by his arguments of a beautiful illu- 
sion. I have endeavoured by a connected detail of pro- 
bable evidence to show, that the old and popular theory is 
no illusion ; that Michael Angelo, who is said to have 
restored the right arm; Clement XII., who purchased the 
statue at a great price, and placed it in the Capitol, and 
the Romans, who have ever since regarded it as the chief 
ornament of that edifice, did not misconceive its meaning. 
I have also endeavoured to give a clear connected account 
of the sculptor's intention, showing that it may be regarded 
as an entire piece, and not merely accessory to a group, 
and that all the parts and adjuncts of the statue conspire 
to represent an individual character, and to relate one 
deeply interesting tale. 

James Yates. 



THE DYING GLADIATOR AT ROME. 



107 



NOTES. 



(A. page A00.) 

Although we cannot tell where this 
statue was found, we are able, both on the 
ground of general tradition and from pecu- 
liar circumstances, to trace back the his- 
tory of its discovery to the earlier part of 
the sixteenth century. At that period the 
celebrated artist Primaticcio was employed 
to decorate the palaces of Francis I. King 
of France. With the aid of the best 
judges of art in Italy he obtained moulds 
of some of the finest antiques. From 
these moulds he made among others the 
admirable bronze copy of the Dying Gla- 
diator, which is now in the garden of the 
Tuileries at Paris. See Clarac, Musee 
de Sculpture, Tome I., and Mongez, 
Memoire sur les Gladiateurs in Memoires 
de I'ltutitut, Tome II. p. 454. The first 
engraving of the statue was published by 
Francois Perrier in 1638. His represen- 
tation appears to me to have great merit in 
regard to accuracy as well as expression. 
The only account, which he gives of it, is 
in these words : — " Mirmillo deficiens, in 
Hortis Ludovisianis." See his Segmenta 
Nobiliorum Signorum, No. 91. Why did 
he adopt the rare term Mirmillo, instead of 
the ordinary term Gladiator ? It must 
have been, because the Gallic insignia of 
the wounded man had already excited 
attention ; for all the lexicographers, fol- 
lowing Festus (*. v. Retiarius), had ex- 
plained Mirmillo to mean a gladiator, who 
was called a Gaul and wore the armour of 
a Gaul. Hence the reputed discovery of 
Mongez, which I shall notice hereafter, 
appears to have been only the revival and 
establishment of the original explanation. 

The statue is of Luna, or Italian marble. 

(B. page 100.) 
Rossi's Raccolta di Statue, Roma, 1704, 
Tav. 65. Maffei here advanced the con- 
jecture, adopted by Montfaucon (Ant. 
Expl. Tome III. PL 155), and many other 
antiquaries, that the statue in question 
was the " vulneratus deficiens," mentioned 
by Pliny (XXXIV. 19) as the work of a 
sculptor named Ctesilaus. But the sculp- 
tor of whom Pliny speaks was not Ctesi- 
laus, but Cresilas, the latter name being 
found in the best MSS. ; and Professor 
Ludwig Ross, of Athens, has proved that 
the "vulneratus deficiens" of Cresilas 
could not have been this statue, but was 
the statue of a certain Diitrephes, the 
leader of a body of Thracian soldiers, who 
died pierced with arrows. See Kritios, 



Nesiotes, Cresilas, lettre a Thiersch par M. 
Ross, Athenes, 1839, pp. 9-12; and Smith's 
Diet, of Greek and Roman Biography, 
art. Cresilas. Meyer supposes, not with- 
out reason, that the artist of the " Dying 
Gladiator " may have had the " vulneratus 
deficiens " of Cresilas in his view j Ge- 
schichte der bildenden Kunste bet den Grie- 
chen, I. 81. 

(C.page 101.) 
See II Museo Capitolino illustrato da 
M. Bottari, &c. Milano, 1819-1821, 8vo. 
T. III. p. 67. Raoul-Rochette supports 
the same opinion in his Nouvelles Observa- 
tions sur la Statue du pretendu Gladiateur 
mourant du Capitole, et sur le Groupe dit 
d'Arria et Pcetus de la Villa Ludovisi, 
published in the Baron de Ferussac's 
Bulletin, 7 me Section, Tome XV. Paris, 
1830. 

(D.page\Q2.) 
" Die individuellen Ziige des Kopfes," 
says Platner, " konnten ein Bildniss ver- 
muthen lassen, und diesem individuellen 
Character entspricht auch die Bildung des 
Korpers." Beschreibung der Stadt Rom, 
von Platner, Bunsen, Gerhard, tmd Rostell 
3 ter Band, 4 tes Buch, 1837, p. 249. Plat- 
ner agrees with Mongez, Visconti, and 
Raoul-Rochette in regard to the age and 
design of the statue. 

(E. page 103.) 

In reference to the same events 
Eutropius (X. 3) says, 

Constantinus * * * in Galliis et 
militum et provincialium ingenti jam 
favore regnabat, csesis Francis atque 
Alemannis, captisque eorum regibus, quos 
etiam bestiis, cum magnificum specta- 
culum muneris parasset, objecit. 

(F. page 104.) 
Vol. XIV. p. 94. See Archaeological 
Journal, Vol. VI. p. 380. A bronze tore 
seems best suited to the rank which I 
assign to the supposed Gladiator, viz., 
that of a comicen. I also conceive that 
his horn was of bronze. This appears 
from its size and shape. If the sculp- 
tor had intended to represent a horn 
of any other substance, he would without 
fail have introduced the transverse bands 
of metal, which are used to unite the 
parts of real horns, so as to make them 
long enough. 

# H 6 



108 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATUE AT ROME. 



(G. page 104.) 
Heyne goes so far as to affirm, that it 
cannot be explained. He says, " The 
horn has no archaeological meaning " (gar 
keinen antiquarischen Sinn). Hence he 
conjectures that it is a restoration. But 
this is one of the many errors which are 
to be found in his essay. (Antiquarische 
Aufs'dtze, Leipzig, 1779, Vol. II. p. 231.) 
The restored parts of the statue are the 
toes of both feet, the tip of the nose, the 
cap of the left knee, the right arm, and 
one end of the horn. The original por- 
tion of the horn is quite sufficient to prove 
that it was a horn, as it has always been 
supposed to be. 

(H. page 105.) 
Since this memoir was read at Bristol, 
the Rev. William Dyke, M.A., Fellow of 
Jesus College, Oxford, has visited Rome, 
and has done me the favour to examine 
the statue attentively, more especially 
with regard to the restorations of the 
plinth. He found that the extremity of 
the horn near the right foot, which must 
be supposed to have been the mouth- 
piece, had been broken off and renewed. 
The other extremity, he informs me, has 
a raised rim, which is original and un- 
broken. Its form is oval, i. e., depressed. 
This consequently represented the mouth 
of the horn, or the orifice, from which the 
sound was emitted. It must have been 
considerably larger than the other orifice, 
and in the oldest engraving of the statue, 
viz., Perrier's, of which I have already 
spoken, it is so represented. See the 



4 
illP 



wood-cut. I may here observe, that 
twenty-five years ago I also examined this 
statue with some attention, and certainly 
with great admiration, and it then ap- 
peared to me, that the sculptor must have 
intended to represent a horn, which was 
worn round the body. It is moreover 
evident, that, if the Schwerin horn were 



broken as the horn is represented in the 
statue, it would lie on the ground almost 
exactly in the same way. It is however 
possible, that the artist may have supposed 
the combatant to have worn the horn in 
the way which was more common among 
the Romans, and which is represented in a 
painting found in the Amphitheatre at 
Pompeii. See Gell's Pompeiana, London, 
1819. Plate 75. A gladiator is there ex- 
hibited blowing the horn as a challenge to 
his adversary. That a bronze trumpet of 
some kind was part of the apparatus of 
gladiators, and actually used as such in the 
public shows, is manifest from a Greek 
epitaph in honour of a Retiarius, who 
says, "I now no longer hear the voice of 
the brazen trumpet." See Welcker, 
Sylloge Inscrip. Grcec. pp. 58 — 67. 

(I. page 105.) 
This memoir was read in the Bristol 
Institution, which was erected from the 
designs of our great classical trchitect, 
C. R. Cockerell, Esq., and through his 
generosity possesses one of the three sets 
of casts made from the iEgina marbles 
soon after their discovery. For engrav- 
ings of the statues, to which I have allud- 
ed, the reader is referred to Lyon's Out- 
lines of the JEgina Marbles, Liverpool, 
1829. Plates 3, 7, 12, 13, 16. Another 
very remarkable monument, which throws 
great light on the subject of the present 
inquiry, and strikingly confirms what I 
have said of the proper attitude for war- 
riors expiring in battle, is the Amendola 
Sarcophagus, discovered some years since 
in the vicinity of Rome. In this marble 
bas-relief, " the style of which recalls the 
happy epoch of Trajan and his successors," 
there are five barbarian warriors, all wear- 
ing the tore, and bearing a most striking 
resemblance in many circumstances to the 
so-called Dying Gladiator. See the ex- 
cellent memoir of M. Raoul-Rochette 
in the Bulletin Universel, referred to in 
the preceding note ; and the account of 
the Amendola Sarcophagus by Professor 
Blackie, of Edinburgh, in the Annali del 
Instituto di Correspondenza Archeologica, 
Vol. III. pp. 287—311, Roma, 1831, 
and in the Monumenti Inediti, folio, Vol. 
I. Nos. 30, 31. 



109 



ADDRESS ON THE OPENING OF THE ARCHI- 
TECTURAL SECTION AT BRISTOL, THURSDAY, 
31st JULY, 1851. 

BY J. H. MARKLAND, D.C.L., F.R.S., S.A., President. 



The honourable position which I now occupy, has been 
conferred upon me by the partial kindness of my friends. 
My own wish was that this chair should have been filled 
by some other member of the Institute, far better qualified 
to discharge the duties of President than myself. The 
request of the central committee, thrice conveyed to me, 
scarcely left me an alternative but to obey their wishes, 
relying, as I do, upon your support and indulgence, and 
on the valuable assistance which I shall receive from my 
zealous and intelligent coadjutors. 

Let me, in the first place, congratulate the Institute on 
being received so cordially by the citizens of this city, 
deservedly called by Lord Talbot on Tuesday "the second 
city in England ;" and so termed by one of the most gifted 
of men, Edmund Burke, who, as its member, during an 
eventful period, reflected honour upon it, and who, as 
he stated, far preferred the representation of Bristol to 
any other in the kingdom. 

Our venerable topographer, Leland, speaks of "Bristowe 
upon Avon as a greate cite," in his days "well walled, 
having a fair castle and eighteen parish churches within it." 
Of the beauty of some of the latter you may already have 
had the means of judging. 

The early history of few cities in England is more deeply 
interesting and important than that of Bristol ; and its 
" Memoirs " by Sever, a faithful compiler from original 
records, vindicate its just claims to the attention of 4 the 
antiquary. This, however, is a topic which will better fall 



110 ADDRESS ON THE OPENING OF THE 

under the attention of the sections of History and Anti- 
quities. 

Its See, now merged in another — but let us hope, ere 
long, to be restored to its independence, — is comparatively 
of modern foundation ; and though its Prelates are conse- 
quently not numerous, it numbers amongst them Seeker 
and Butler, the illustrious author of the Analogy. Here 
both Cranmer and Latimer preached. Here the family of 
Sebastian Cabot dwelt ; and it was from this port that he 
sailed in 1497, and returned as the discoverer of Newfound- 
land. When we speak of her merchant-princes, we call to 
mind the Canynges, who elevated the character of the 
" merchant-adventurer " by their integrity and public spirit, 
and by devoting a large portion of their wealth to good 
works. The church of Saint Mary Redcliffe, which owes 
much to these good men, still happily exists as one of the 
noblest monuments of piety in the land. The church 
itself, and the progress of the restorations which it is 
undergoing — for the citizens of Bristol appear duly to 
appreciate the treasure which they possess, — will be the 
subject of an interesting investigation, directed by one 
most intimately acquainted with its beauties and most 
competent to describe them — our associate Mr. Godwin. 

The cathedral, though curtailed of its fair proportions, 
contains some fine parts. It is rich in excellent details, 
and deserves careful examination. The building in which 
we are now assembled — by the obliging permission of the 
Dean and Chapter — may, from its beauty, lead to some 
valuable remarks from members of this section. 

When speaking of celebrated natives of this city, we 
should not omit a passing allusion to the philanthropist 
Colston, whose charities — not confined to Bristol — reached 
the abodes of misery and depression wherever found ; re- 
garding, as he beautifully observed, " every helpless widow 
as his wife, and her orphans as his children." Nor should we 
lastly forget the names of two Poets, to whom Bristol has 
given birth, though differing widely in their characters and 
pursuits, and in the application of the talents committed to 
them. In the case of Chatterton, short and evil were his 
days : let his extraordinary genius and his hard fate be 
alone remembered, whilst his faults and follies are forgotten. 
The antiquities which he described, and the legends which 



ARCHITECTURAL SECTION AT BRISTOL. Ill 

were connected either with them or with individuals, crea- 
tions of his own brain, would furnish indeed copious mate- 
rials for apochryphal annals of Bristol. The poet laureate 
of his day, the other gifted individual referred to, died full 
of years and honour, having contributed largely to English 
literature ; for few authors of the present age have written 
so much, and still fewer of any age have written so well. 
The citizens of Bristol record with conscious pride, in the 
adjoining cathedral, the name of their fellow-townsman 
" Southey." 

To recur to our annual meeting : it cannot be questioned 
that the most beneficial results attend these periodical 
assemblies. To bring together men of kindred minds and 
feelings, hitherto strangers to each other, is always both 
gratifying and beneficial ; many coming from distant parts 
of the country, and who may hitherto have lived in com- 
parative retirement, have perhaps for the first time the 
opportunity of examining buildings or antiquities which 
from their celebrity may long have been cherished by them 
as objects of interest and curiosity. Again, attention is 
directed by the members to buildings which may be verging 
to decay or ruin and calling for immediate restoration. The 
necessity of bestowing upon them judicious care is brought 
before the public ; the result is generally successful, and a 
valuable relic of past ages which might otherwise have 
wholly perished, is preserved. In these days the High Cross 
of Bristol would not have been rejected, but would have 
remained on its ancient site ; we can only rejoice that, 
instead of being thrown piecemeal into the mason's yard, it 
found a safe asylum in the beautiful grounds of Stourhead. 
But how much of majesty and beauty in mediaeval architec- 
ture has perished ! " I am heartily sorry," says Aubrey, " I 
did not set down the antiquities of these parts sooner ; for 
since the time aforesaid (1659), many things are irrecovera- 
bly lost." " In former days," he continues, " the churches 
and great houses hereabouts did so abound with monu- 
ments and things remarkable, that it would have deterred 
an antiquary from undertaking their history." The interest 
displayed in the preservation of ancient remains is not con- 
fined to ourselves ; it happily communicates itself, and is 
daily gaining strength far beyond the class of architectural 
antiquaries. A recent gratifying proof of the truth of this 



112 ADDRESS ON THE OPENING OF THE 

remark, and of the value of this society, has been afforded 
by the successful interference of our intelligent associate, 
Mr. Gibson, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in the preservation 
of a portion of the rampart of the Roman Station of Lan- 
chester, in the county of Durham. Mr. Kearney, the pro- 
prietor of that property, in his reply to Mr. Gibson's re- 
presentation, stated that he had taken particular care that 
nothing should be disturbed of the slightest interest ; and 
he expressed his regret that any of the old walls had been 
touched, if he had thereby rendered them less interesting 
to the members of the Institute. We may hope that, as 
education becomes daily more widely diffused, the peasant 
or the artisan, equally with those in higher stations, will 
seek to preserve any architectural remains in his parish, 
which speak of bygone days, and which he knows are so 
much appreciated by men more enlightened than himself. 

This visit (as experience has proved in other cities) will 
furnish, I doubt not, valuable and authentic materials for 
the future historian of Bristol. 

On looking back at the labours of the Institute, whether 
in connection with the history of our country, the investi- 
gation of our mediaeval antiquities, or its architecture, we 
may turn to our Transactions in the Archceological Journal 
with no slight feelings of satisfaction. The papers printed 
in the Winchester, York, Norwich, Lincoln, and Salisbury 
volumes, would also reflect credit upon any body of men 
associated to further and assist antiquarian researches. 

In the department of architecture it is sufficient to point 
to the admirable papers of Professor Willis, illustrating in 
so lucid a manner, after minute and painful investigation, 
the peculiarities and beauties of several of our cathedrals. 
These papers are confessedly unequalled, from the depth of 
research, the sound judgment, and the shrewdness of con- 
jecture by which they are characterized ; but they derived 
additional value from the felicity of diction and the spirit and 
animation which Professor Willis always infused into them. 

The papers of Professor Cockerell have happily confirmed 
the truth that sculpture is the right hand of architecture. 
They were united in the good days of Italy, and in our 
cathedrals we find them closely and intimately connected. 
Look at Wells, as it stands, and remember that the west 
front of another cathedral, that of Salisbury, was once 



ARCHITECTURAL SECTION AT BRISTOL. 113 

adorned with 123 figures. In these papers Professor 
Cockerell has not only manifested the purest taste and the 
most intimate knowledge of art, but he has exhibited that 
which always ought to dignify the treatment of these 
subjects — the deepest feelings of reverence. He has found 
literally sermons in stones : in the facade of Wells, for 
instance, the Hymn of St. Ambrose, the Te Deum, a 
sculptured homily ; and in the Angel Choir of Lincoln 
Cathedral he has traced most clearly a series of subjects 
reaching from the Covenant of Promise made to Abraham 
and the Patriarchs down to the consummation of all things. 
A slight description of the Wells sculptures, from Mr. C.'s 
own notes, I was enabled to read before the Somersetshire 
Society at Wells, and the paper has since appeared in their 
Transactions. Very shortly, I am happy to say, we shall 
see a distinct work by the Professor, on these and other 
sculptures, with illustrations. 

JVlany who are present had the good fortune of hearing 
both these distinguished individuals in their addresses yes- 
terday. A finer field than Wells could scarcely be offered to 
their notice ; and the impression made by the visit of the Insti- 
tute will no doubt be lasting, and may be pregnant with bene- 
ficial results to the further restoration of that beautiful pile. 

To the papers already mentioned we may add, the valu- 
able contributions of the Rev. J. L. Petit ; those, for in- 
stance, on Wymondham Church and on Southwell Minster, 
with his interesting illustrations, sometimes furnished most 
liberally by himself ; The remarks on painted glass in differ- 
ent churches, by the writer most competent to offer them, 
Mr. Winston ; The architectural notes of the churches and 
other buildings visited in different years by the Institute, 
compiled by Mr. Parker ; — these, wdth other papers which 
could be mentioned — for the subject is a most grateful 
one — deserve special commendation. 

There are indeed few persons who have done more to 
create a feeling and interest in our pursuits, and especially 
with the young of both sexes, than the gentleman last 
named, the compiler of the admirable Glossary of Archi- 
tecture, which, from a thin volume of fifty-six pages, pub- 
lished fifteen years ago, has now become enlarged to three 
goodly octavo volumes, with 1700 illustrations; a book 
equally increased in value as in size. 

i 



114 ADDRESS ON THE OPENING OF THE 

If there be any young and zealous antiquary near me, 
who fondly anticipates that his own name may be asso- 
ciated with the place of his birth or the residence of his 
ancestors, or with some spot in his native land which is 
celebrated as the scene of important historical events, I 
would especially direct him to the " Hints on the Nature, 
Purpose, and Resources of Topography," in our Lincoln 
volume, from the pen of a veteran and able antiquary, 
Mr. Hunter, one who has laboured long and most success- 
fully in this and in other classes of literature. These hints 
will furnish the reader with most valuable advice for his 
future guidance. 

To revert, however, to the business of this section. 
Whilst in the pursuit of, and encouraging a taste for 
historical antiquities, we look back with grateful respect 
to the fostering care of Archbishop Parker, and the ac- 
cumulations of Sir Robert Cotton; to the labours of our 
chroniclers, to those of Camden, Saville, Selden, Twysden, 
and Gibson ; and, lastly, to those of our old friend Thomas 
Hearne — the Wormius of Pope — still the movement in 
Ecclesiastical Architecture in England, extending from 
the days of Elizabeth to those of George III., w T as as- 
suredly a retrograde one. We traverse a period of thick 
and almost unbroken darkness, brightened only by those 
gleams when the talents of Jones and Wren shone forth, 
and gave us specimens of Roman grandeur. Evelyn, 
Wren himself, Seed, and less considerable men, expressed 
but one tone of contempt for Medieval Architecture, 
of which indeed Inigo Jones had given a practical ex- 
ample, by actually placing a Roman Portico before the 
magnificent Cathedral of St. Paul. With the exception 
of the efforts made in the days of Queen Anne, little 
was done in increasing the number of our Churches, and 
so far only as our national taste was concerned — but in 
no oth^r sense — it was a fortunate circumstance ; for the 
deformities in Architecture of the three first Georges, are 
unequalled, and most needful was it that by the exercise 
of individual talent, and by the aid of societies, the labours 
of architects of a higher order should be called into ex- 
ercise. 

It has been deemed almost essential by some of the dis- 
tinguished individuals who have presided over the Institute, 



ARCHITECTURAL SECTION AT BRISTOL. 115 

to meet the objections of those who regard with doubt or 
fear, the impulse which has in our days been happily 
given to architectural improvement and to church deco- 
ration. 

If the object and result of our annual meetings, and of 
our exertions at all times, be to cherish whatever is truly 
valuable in Archaeology, and to estimate aright whatever 
leads to the cultivation of the highest exercise of art, let us 
not again hear the idle charge, that we encourage ancient 
superstitions and fantastic puerilities, still more that we 
foster grave errors of principle. The true philosopher will 
hesitate before he undervalues any researches which add 
to the happiness and improvement of mankind, which call 
forth labour and erudition, and which powerfully interest 
our nature. And what a happy change has come over us ! 
What would now be thought of, what Johnson terms, "the 
tumultuous violence of Knox," or of " dilapidations, suf- 
fered by deliberate robbery and frigid indifference ?" 

Visit our cathedrals and churches in 1851, and compare 
them with the account given by the same writer three parts 
of a century ago, when he speaks of the " despicable phi- 
losophy which prevailed, in contemning monuments of 
sacred magnificence ; " this has happily passed away among, 
we may hope, the majority of our countrymen, to make 
room, not as has been untruly said, for a school of foppery 
and fanaticism, but for a pure ecclesiastical taste, conducted 
on sound principles. Let things be called by their right 
names ; superstition may have been the animating prin- 
ciple which sometimes planned and accomplished these noble 
structures — which notwithstanding the increase of wealth, 
skill, and luxury, even nations do not now call into exist- 
ence — but by what name shall that blind ruffian-like zeal 
be called which could raise the massive hammer and crumble 
the venerable materials into dust ? 

We may surely maintain, in opposition to that spirit of 
Puritanism which would affirm the contrary, that the 
erection and restoration of churches after the best examples, 
and adapted to our own form of worship — that the exertion 
in the sendee of God, of those gifts and talents with which 
He hag| endowed us — that the wise and judicious expen- 
diture, in the same holy cause, of a portion of that bound- 
less wealth which He has been pleased to pour upon this 

I 2 



116 ADDRESS ON THE OPENING OF THE 

nation — must lead to reverence and devotion. Are we 
indeed to be taught by the indifferent and careless, that 
where the glories of ecclesiastical architecture are freely 
displayed, holiness and piety must necessarily take their 
flight? 

To quote the language of the loved and honoured 
Bishop of my own diocese, in the excellent address 
which he delivered last year at Wells — ' ' There is a spirit, 
at once reverential and enlightened, with which these 
subjects can best be entered into, and which indeed 
appears to me most remarkably to have characterized 
its most successful students. If, I say, we follow in 
that spirit, then we can hardly fail to have our hearts 
warmed ; as our minds are strengthened, we shall be led, 
not only to admire, but to emulate the work of by-gone 
days, to discriminate the pious motive from the super- 
stitious use, the beautiful from the monstrous, the living 
from the dead, that which is temporary and conventional, 
from that which is unchangeable and eternal." 

I would also quote the words of another Prelate, who 
has been called to his rest, but who for years took a lively 
interest in our proceedings. The late Bishop Stanley, in 
a charge delivered four years since, says : — " Conceiving, as 
I do, that the gifts and talents placed at our command, 
were meant for our cultivation, I cannot understand the 
arguments of those who would oppose their development 
to the fullest extent, in the service of Him by whom they 
were imparted ; and it is on this principle therefore, that I 
would encourage the introduction of the highest exercise of 
art, in all that relates to ecclesiastical architecture and 
decoration, internal as well as external. I cannot enter into 
the devotional character of the man who can look without 
emotion and admiration, at the master pieces of the great 
sculptors or painters, portraying Scriptural subjects ; and 
I need scarcely remind you that, had not religion patronized 
and encouraged the one and the other, the most distin- 
guished professors in these sister arts would have remained 
in obscurity. I am aware of the reply ; they pander, it is 
said, to idolatry, and may again become the object of super- 
stitious worship. In a former age, such reasoning might 
have weight ; but I must confess, I cannot now hear it with- 
out mingled sentiments of pain and surprise. In our more 



ARCHITECTURAL SECTION AT BRISTOL. 117 

enlightened age, such fears are surely exaggerated ; let us 
rather cherish it as our especial privilege, that we need not, 
like the Puritans of old, banish the influence of art from 
the sphere of religion, and return to that rude spirit which 
went forth as the destroyer of all that was beautiful, glory- 
ing in its barbarous mutilations ; but offer the noblest 
works and faculties of man, as the best sacrifice to the 
worship of God." 

One sentiment of the deepest regret must pervade this 
meeting ; whether we assemble collectively, or in sections, 
and although the melancholy subject was most feelingly 
alluded to by many distinguished individuals on our first day 
of assembling, still we must all feel anxious to pay a tribute 
of respect, so justly due, to the memory of the illustrious 
dead. I cannot therefore close these remarks, though I 
fear that I have trespassed too long upon your attention, 
without referring to that gifted nobleman, long the mas- 
ter-spirit of this Institute, whose superior talents, culti- 
vated taste, and courteous bearing, encouraged, animated, 
and cheered us in our progress. How justly does Lord 
Clarendon's eulogy on the gallant Sir Bevil Granville, 
apply to the late Marquis of Northampton ! — "He was 
indeed an excellent person ; his example kept others from 
taking anything ill, or at least seeming to do so. In a 
word, a brighter courage, and a gentler disposition were 
never married together, to make the most cheerful and 
innocent conversation." On the day of our departure 
from Oxford, at our last anniversary, I had the privilege 
of expressing a few words with reference to the steady 
support which his Lordship had given to the Institute 
from its foundation ; and of gratitude for the wisdom and 
judgment, which, under most critical circumstances, he 
had displayed when our bark, on its being first launched, 
was endangered by the breakers that surrounded it. We 
cannot but remember, with mournful feelings, the antici- 
pations which Lord Northampton expressed at Oxford of 
meeting us in his own county, at no distant time ; in a few 
short months afterwards, this excellent man was gathered 
to the tomb of his ancestors. Surely the emphatic words 
spoken ,by Burke, near the very spot where we are now 
assembled, must recur to our minds, " what shadows we 
are, and what shadows we pursue !" 



118 



ON THE DESECRATED AND DESTROYED 
CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 



I purpose, in the following observations, to make mention 
of the remains of several ancient churches and chapels in 
the city of Bristol, nearly or quite destroyed, or fast disap- 
pearing. The descriptions have been taken from detached 
notices that I have from time to time collected. Our city, 
at the present time, contains a considerable number of 
ancient churches ; at a former period, however, as many as 
eighteen existed ; of some of these very few, and in some 
cases hardly any remains are now left. 

The accompanying plan shows Bristol in its present state, 
on which is marked, either from inspection of the ruins, or 
from old maps, the sites of the principal buildings that ex- 
isted in the early ages. The portions which formed the early 
city are here distinguished from those added soon after the 
Conquest ; and the extent of the Castle, with its wards, is 
clearly indicated. 

Bristol, in its early form, was similar in plan to the ma- 
jority of the early towns. It will be perceived that Corn- 
street, Broad- street, Wine and High streets formed a cross ; 
the smaller streets or lanes followed the curvature of the 
wall. In the centre of the principal streets stood the High 
Cross, and at the corners of the streets formed at their in- 
tersection stood churches ; — namely, All Saints' or All- 
hallows', Christ's or Trinity Church, St. Ewen's, and St. 
Andrew s. At the other extremities of the four principal 
streets were the four principal gates : — St. John's and St. 
Lawrence's, north ; St. Nicholas', south ; New Gate, east ; 
and St. Leonard's, west ; attached to three of these gates 
are found the remains of churches. The only churches 
within the walls, except those before mentioned, were St. 
Maryleport, St. Werburgh's, and probably St. Peter's. The 
other churches, without the walls, are indicated on the plan. 

The early history of Bristol I pass over, excepting to 



-^~~~— -— — 




JR. Jdhbins , 3"Warwick C? 




John Bindon , Architect Del . 



DESECRATED AND DESTROYED CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 1 ] 9 

remark that it is closely connected with the Berkeley s and 
their castle; there is, indeed, hardly any edifice in the city 
or surrounding parishes, which was not in some manner 
associated with that family. At the dissolution of the 
Abbey most, if not all, the records were carried to Berkeley 
Castle, and deposited in the chapel of our Lady, in the 
eastern tower of the Keep. Mr. Seyer acknowledges 
with thankfulness and pleasure the kindness of Colonel 
Berkeley, (Earl Fitzhardinge,) in allowing him access to 
examine every paper relating to Bristol. The several docu- 
ments, which are of the most valuable kind, were arranged 
in 1628, by John Smythe, a fellow of Magdalen. 

The principal historians and writers who have treated of 
the antiquities of Bristol are : — Turgot, prior of Durham ; 
he wrote in 1088; his history is " doune from Savon, by 
llowlie" who wrote in 1469 ; # William of Wyrcestre, 
1431; Ricaut, Town Clerk of Bristol, 1470; Leland, 
1534; and in more recent times, William Barrett, F.S.A., 
in 1789 ; Rev. Samuel Seyer, M.A., Corpus Christi, 
Oxford, 1821; Rev. S. Dallaway, 1834; Mr. Evans, 
and John Corry, 1810. Bristol, like London and other 
ancient cities, possesses also numerous MS. kalendars, 
or chronicles, relating to its early history. Mr. Seyer 
has enumerated a list of maps and plans, relating to 
Bristol ; they are very numerous, and are of value as 
indicating the successive changes at various periods. Mr. 
Braikenridge, of Brislington, possesses a most valuable 
and extensive collection of drawings and maps ; comprising 
those made by Skelton and O'Neille. Mr. Dallaway, in 
1 844, gave an enumeration of the drawings ; amounting at 
that time to 1 544. Old maps exist in the possession of the 
commissioners of the Local Board of Health. One published 
by Hofnagle in 1575, is well deserving of examination. 

St. Andrew's. — This church stood on the site of the 
Castle Bank, the old wooden Dutch-framed building now 
to be seen on the opposite corner to the Council House. 
No mention is made of this church by the early writers, 
and some of later times throw doubt on its existence. I 

* Some have called in question the authenticity of Turgot's history : he is cited in 
the helief that certain ancient papers fell into Chatterton's hands which were worked 
up in his History. 



120 ON THE DESECRATED AND DESTROYED 

am enabled to state that the extensive ecclesiastical re- 
mains clearly indicate that a church did exist on this 
site. Under the banking-room the crypt-groining is 
most perfect, and the adjoining houses show four centred 
arches, sufficiently large for the support of buildings of 
considerable altitude. Very considerable remains exist on 
this same side of the street, supposed to be for the storing 
of merchandise ; extending to the river at the bottom of 
the street. At No. 22, High-street, the remains are well 
worthy of a visit; the floors generally are about 8 or 10 
feet under the present surface. A similarity of style 
exists in the detail of the groin-ribbing, the shafts, and 
other details. In nearly each crypt was a door and flight 
of steps, leading to the street and also to the ancient back 
courts. On the west side of the street, at No. 32, a crypt 
(if it may be so called) exists in part ; the ceiling supported 
by oak uprights, moulded at the angles ; the inner face of 
the mouldings forming arches, supporting the horizontal 
beams midway between their bearings. 

Church of St. Audoen, Owen, or St. Ewen. — William 
of Wyrcestre describes the parish church of St. Audoen, 
with the chapel of the fraternity of St. John the Baptist, as 
" situate in a direct line betwixt the church of St. Werburgh, 
on the west, and Broad-street, on the east ; the great east 
window of the church being situate over Broad-street. The 
length of the church was 22 yards, and the breadth 15 
yards — it had a nave, or north aisle, and a south aisle, 
which was the chapel of the fraternity of St. John the 
Baptist." # In 1631, a tower was erected at an expense of 
196/., in the churchyard. This church, says Barrett, " is 
of great antiquity, and it appears by deeds that Robert, 
Earl of Gloucester, gave the church of St. Ewen to Thar- 
stan the priest, of Bristol ; and William the Earl confirmed 
it in the time of Simon, Bishop of Worcester, circa 1 130." 
William of Wyrcestre describes King Edward IV. looking 
through the east window to see Sir Baudwyn Fulford 
pass by to his execution, in 1461. In the chapel of St. 
John the Baptist were two altars, dedicated to St. Catherine 
and St. Margaret. The Chapel of St. John the Baptist 
was connected with the guild of Merchant Taylors, and 

* Dallaway, Antiqu. of Bristow, pp. 96, 113. 



CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 121 

founded in 1398. This fraternity, in the year 1701, 
founded an almshouse in Merchant- street. The old chapel 
in St. Ewen's, in 1551 (4 Edw. VI.) was granted to the 
corporation, paying 6s. 8d. per annum. After this the 
corporation, taking down the chapel, built on this ground 
a council house in 1552, " with a shed covered with lead, 
supported by five stone pillars." This old council house 
was taken down and rebuilt in 1704, and another house 
built. This church in 1788 was by Act of Parliament con- 
solidated with Christ Church. There are some of the 
Churchwardens' books of an old date in existence, contain- 
ing several curious entries, one describing the expense of 
washing the church previous to the king's coming (Edward 
IV.), and another for a breakfast on the feast of Corpus 
Christi, 1460. In digging the foundations for the council 
house there were found several stone coffins, and many 
fragments of Norman capitals and columns, with seve- 
ral coins, which are particularized by Evans. In Prout's 
Sketches of Bristol (plate 26) is shown a fragment of this 
church, taken down previous to the building of the Coun- 
cil House. 

Holy Trinity, or Christ Church. — A rectory rated in the 
king's books at 3/. 8s. ; its yearly tenths (now discharged), 
1 /. 2s. Rowley says it was founded (920) by Ulla, lord warden 
of the Castle, and it was " spired by Aylwardus Sneaw." 
Barrett mentions, that in taking down part of the spire, in 
1765, a date in lead let into the stone was found, stated to 
have been 1003 or 1004. When the church was taken 
down to be rebuilt in 1787, a statue supposed to represent 
a Saxon earl sitting in a niche, was discovered, walled in 
on the front. Leland says, that in this church was first 
kept the calendaries, otherwise called the gild or fraternity 
of the clergy and commonaltie of Brighstow ; but since 
removed to All-Hallows'. # It was a low building, of the 
form of a cross, the tower being near the centre; from 
the ground to the battlements of the tower measured 
about 70 feet ; on the centre stood a spire about the same 
height. Chimes were placed in the tower, with two dial 
plates, at the west end of south aisle, one facing Corn and 
the other High street. On the sides of the dials were men 

* Leland, Itin. vol. vii. p. 94. 



122 DESECRATED AND DESTROYED CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 

carved in wood, to strike the quarters. In the year 1751, 
the church was repaired, at an expense of 1 500/. ; and in 
the year 1783, the present church was rebuilt. 

St. Nicholas. — The earliest mention of this Church is by 
Rowley ; he says this church was founded by Earl Britrycke, 
in 1030, and since was given to St. Augustine's monastery 
in Bristowe. Abbot Newland mentions Robert third son of 
Robert Fitzharding (circa 1172) having given unto that 
monastery the church of St. Nicholas. William of Wyr- 
cestre describes it thus : — " The breadth of the crypt called 
le crowd, with the two aisles arched with the number of 
five pillars, measures 12 yards, and five great pillars and 
five arches are in the said crypt or vault. Also the square 
belfry tower measures 5 yards on every side." # The 
length of the Crowd of St. Nicholas measures (besides the 
chapel, with 7 yards for the breadth of the Chapel of Holy 
Cross,) 31 yards; its breadth measures 12 yards, lifoot. 
The spire was constructed of wood and covered with lead, the 
pieces jointed and let into one another, which William of 
Wyrcestre calls " magnmn pinaculum sive spera de mearenno 
elevato, cum plumbo cooper to "\ There were six bells in the 
tower; and the great clock bell was fixed in the steeple 
above the rest, with an inscription and the date 1396. The 
church was partly rebuilt in 1503 ; this re-building Barrett 
describes as being in the form of two aisles, the northern 
aisle, or nave, terminating with a chancel, with an ascent 
of twelve steps ; it was situate over the arched gateway of 
St. Nicholas. There was a vestry-room that projected over 
the street. The passage over the old bridge, and through 
the arch of St. Nicholas, became very dangerous and in- 
convenient ; and, in 1762, the church was taken down, and 
the present structure erected. There was a religious guild 
or fraternity of the Holy Ghost within the crypt. The 
expenses of the priests and clerks for celebrating mass and 
anthems, and for wine on Holy-Rood day, are particu- 
larized by Barrett ; mention is also made of eight chantries. 
The accompanying illustration accurately shows the exist- 
ing remains of the old crypt, the date of which is circa 
1 503 ; that part under the nave may be rather the most 

* Dallaway, Anliqu. of Bristow, p. 77. 
t Ibid. p. 138. The true recording is probably *• spera de mearemio," timber. 



CHUECH OF ST. NICHOLAS, BRISTOL. 

L 




Ancient Cetpt. Scale, T Vth of inch to foot. 



CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS, BRISTOL. 




Teansveese Section. 





and Elevation oe Piee in Crypt. 



DESECRATED AND DESTROYED CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 127 

ancient, partaking somewhat of the character of an earlier 
church, of which mention is made circa 1361, Fragments 
of this remain against the east wall under High- street ; and 
also a ribbed moulding and beautiful carved boss, under 
the east wall of the present church. The south porch 
exists in a perfect state, with the exception of the exterior 
doorway into the street. The groined roof is very perfect, 
and the bosses are well carved ; one at the intersection of 
ribs in the west end of aisle (S.) is said to represent Queen 
Philippa ; another, the Saviour ; also the Holy Virgin and 
Child. In the floor are several incised monumental slabs, 
well worthy of observation. Two stone coffins remain ; one 
in its original position against the north wall, covered with 
an incised slab and inscription to the memory of Mabel 
and Richard le draper, dated 1311. Mabel appears to 
have been burnt, ashes only being found in the tomb ; 
but Richard was buried, as his skeleton remains. In the 
west compartment of the south aisle may be seen the re- 
mains of the matrix of a brass. In the parish of St. 
Nicholas is a burial ground called the Rackhay. I can find 
no mention of a church existing there ; but in Hofnagle's 
map a church is clearly shown. Barrett says a chapel de- 
dicated to St. John was attached to Back-street gate. The 
vicarage of St. Nicholas was attached to the Rackhay ; in 
1625, it was removed. 

St. Leonard's. — An ancient course of the Froom, in run- 
ning down Baldwin-street, passed close to St. Leonard's 
gate, where of course was a bridge. Barrett says :■ — ' ' At the 
west end of Old Corn-street, formerly stood three arched 
gateways, forming together a triangle ; through the south 
gate you passed to Baldwin-street ; north, to the quay; and 
the east, which was the largest, led to Corn-street, over 
which stood a tower of freestone, 65 ft. high from the 
ground, and 18 ft. in front from north to south, and from 
east to west 10 ft., having pinnacles and balusters at top. 
In the tower were two bells. Under the bell loft within 
the church was built, against the east window, a beautiful 
neat altar. The body of the church consisted of two aisles 
extending over the three archways. On the north side was 
a small crypt, at the end of which you ascended to the door 
of the church by a flight of thirteen steps, at the west end 



128 DESECRATED AND DESTROYED CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 

of the north aisle, which was in length 35 ft. ; and the south 
aisle from the altar to the west window was about 55 ft. 
and 30 ft. to the ceiling. In the Rowlie manuscripts it is 
stated that this church was built by Algar, a Saxon, in 
1010. Mention is also made in a deed, 25 Edw. I. 
(1297), of Simon de Burton, the founder of RedclifT Church, 
granting tenements for three lives, " newly built in Corn- 
street " within the gate of St. Leonard, to John Dicto, and 
afterwards a grant of 6s. 8d., twice a year, for the mainte- 
nance of a lamp to burn in this church. It is rated in the 
king's books at 41. 1 s. 5d. It was a vicarage. The last 
incumbent was the Rev. John Davie, who removed to 
St. John's in 1766, when this church was pulled down, and 
the parish consolidated with that of St. Nicholas. On 
founding the City Library in 1615, it was ordered that the 
vicar of St. Leonard's should be librarian. After the 
removal of this church Clare-street was built, and named 
after Lord Clare. The most perfect portions of the re- 
mains of the crypts of this church, are shown by the accom- 
panying illustration ; one being under the house at the 
corner of Corn and Nicholas streets, now used as a store 
cellar ; and another immediately under the Old Bank, used 
as a receptacle for deeds and other valuables. Many other 
fragments exist, and several parts have been destroyed in 
recent excavations. Each of these crypts is groined over, 
with projecting ribs at the intersections ; and round the sides 
are recessed receptacles for coffins. The floors are laid with 
modern pavements. These crypts assimilate in date with 
that at St. John's. 

St. Giles's. — So called by Leland, and William of Wyr- 
cestre ; its position was at the bottom of Small-street. It 
was demolished, says Seyer, about 100 years since ; but 
Barrett says — " In 1319 the Chapel of St. Giles, which be- 
longed to St. Leonard's, was pulled down." It seems to 
have been annexed to St. Leonard's in 1301 ; and the 
" chancel, bells, books, and vestments destroyed, and its 
revenues being much impaired, it was wholly annexed to 
which it had been of old subject." Evans says: — "The Jews' • 
temple, or synagogue, was in a vault beneath the church, 
where the Jews assembled to worship, previous to the reign 
of King John, who persecuted and then expelled them." 



REMAINS OF THE CHURCH OF ST. LEONARD, BRISTOL. 




Elevation looking South. 
Scale, £th of an inch to foot. 




REMAINS OF THE CHURCH OF ST. LAWRENCE, BRISTOL. 





Interior Elevation of Western Hall. 
Scale, £th of inch to foot. 



k2 



REMAINS OF THE CHURCH OF ST. LAWRENCE, BRISTOL. 




Elevation op Stoup. Scale, 1 inch to foot. 



St. John's Lane. 



St. Lawrence's Lane. 



St. John. 



Nelson Street. 






St. Lawrence. 



Quay 



/'A.I.V. 



Street. 



7<~ 



DESECRATED AND DESTROYED CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 133 

Some early documents in the Council House particularly 
mention " St. Giles' gate with a tenement over it." 

St. Lawrence s. — On the west of St. John's are situate the 
remains of the church of St. Lawrence. Sealy gives the 
dimensions, 59 ft. 8 in., by 24 ft. 8 in. ; and says this must 
have been the size of the original building, except that it 
may have extended up to the wall of St. John's arch. 
William of Wyrcestre describes it as being 28 yards long 
and 9 yards wide. No record seems to exist of its founda- 
tion. Being much decayed, and having but a small parish 
belonging to it, it was incorporated with St. John's, in 1580. 
Having been sold in the time of Henry VIII. to H. Brayne, 
whose successor, Sir Charles Somerset, sold the site for 
buildings upon lives, John Hawkys, in the 16th of Henry 
VIII. , gave a third part of his estate to the rectors and 
proctors of St. Lawrence's, (valued at that time at 900/.). 
Barrett gives the names of seventeen rectors, from 1303 to 
1548. The west wall of this church remains, and is shown 
in the accompanying illustration ; it forms the exterior wall 
of a stable, with lofts over the same. On the ground floor 
the western doorway is walled up, but clearly indicated; 
adjoining, on the north side, is a perfect Stoup. The 
jambs and arch-moulding of the western window are 
entire ; but the sill of the window and the arch of the door 
are shut up by some temporary partitions. These remains 
seem to show that no crypt existed under this church, as 
at St. John's. The architecture is about the same date as 
the church adjoining. 

St. Werburgh's. — Turgot, who wrote in 1088, says, — 
" Edward, sonne of Alfrydus Magnus, a.d. 915, builded 
anew Wareburgas Chyrche, and added housen for priests." 
It is situate in Old Corn-street, and Barrett says : — " Its east 
end joins the upper end of Small -street. It had no tower 
for near two hundred years after its foundation ; but in 
1385, a tower was erected. On the tower is built a curious 
hollow-work pinnacle, about 20 feet high, with a gilt ball 
and weather-cock. " This church, being much decayed, and 
obstructing the entrance into Small-street, was partly taken 
down and rebuilt in 1760, and the top of the tower re- 
paired. Barrett gives the dimensions of this church, and 



134 DESECRATED AND DESTROYED CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 

also those of the existing church. The tower and north 
porch are the original parts of this church that remain ; the 
porch is open on the three sides, and has the appearance of 
a>porte cochere, on a small scale. 

St. Michael's. — Dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. 
The founder is supposed to be Robert Fitz-Haymon, who 
endowed his abbey of Tewkesbury with this church. In 
the year 1193 it was in the presentation of the monks of 
the abbey church of Tewkesbury, as appears by the con- 
firmation of Henry Bishop of Winchester. In the year 
1291, this benefice was in the archdeaconry of Gloucester 
and deanery of Bristol (says Barrett) : its yearly value then 
was six marks and a half, and it was subject to an annual 
payment of 4s. for the prior of St. James's part or share. 
At the dissolution of religious houses the presentation of 
this church, with many others, was sold by letters patent, 
for the sum of 667/. 7 s. 6d., to Henry Brayne, and passed 
from him to the corporation. The rector for the time 
being pays 2s. yearly to the dean and chapter of Bristol, 
which was formerly paid to the monastery of St. Augustine. 
The church consisted of two aisles, with a tower at the west 
end (now remaining) ; from thence to the altar 73 feet : 
the height of the roof was about 26 feet, supported by four 
arches and three pillars. Breadth of two aisles, 37 feet : 
before the north and south doors were porches ; over that 
on the south, was the vestry. In the year 1774, a survey 
was made; and being considered dilapidated, the fabric was 
pulled down and the present church built. The west tower 
is by no means an inelegant structure; but it does not 
belong to the early church before mentioned, being of the 
15th century. Evans states, that the female head at 
the termination of the label course is intended for that of 
Queen Philippa. 

St. Thomas the Martyr s. — From the earliest time this 
was only a chapel to Bedminster ; William of Wyrcestre 
says (page 214) : — The length of the church of St. Thomas 
contains 73 steps or 48 yards, its breadth 21 yards. But in 
page 204, he states that the church of St. Thomas with the 
choir, contains in length 80 steps, breadth 55 steps ; and 
in page 239 he says it is 43 yards in length. This church 



DESECRATED AND DESTROYED CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 135 

has been rebuilt, but the tower of the 15th century church 
remains. 

St. Andrew's, Clifton. — This church was impropriated to 
the ancient College of Westbury. It has been rebuilt. Ori- 
ginally it consisted of nave and aisle ; and in the year 1768, 
a new south aisle was erected. In the time of Henry II., 
William de Clifton granted it to the Abbey of St. Augus- 
tine. Evans describes the termination of the label mould- 
ing of the western entrance, as being the head of Queen 
Philippa. Skelton has published a south-west view of the 
old church. 

The Chapel of the Holy Virgin, Bristol Bridge. — This 
chapel was placed across the roadway, from 70 to 80 feet 
in length, and 20 or 24 feet wide. The east end of the 
chapel extended over the bridge (which was about 50 feet 
wide), and was supported on a pier built in the river. 
William of Wyrcestre says, " It had a tower 108 feet high, 
on each side four large windows of three lights, and also an 
east window" (and no doubt a west window) ; " the windows 
were filled with stained glass. Behind the Lady Chapel 
was the principal altar, only 9 feet long. It is said to 
have been erected by King Edward III. and his queen 
Philippa, and called the chapel of the Assumption of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, and consecrated 1361." The descrip- 
tion of this chapel is fully detailed by Seyer ; but it cannot 
be reconciled with the ancient authorities, or with the 
buildings shown in the old maps of the city. After the 
dissolution, this chapel was used as a warehouse. In 
1643, it was set fire to by the rebels of those times, and 
demolished. 

Chapel of St. Jordan.— Leland, speaking of the monas- 
tery of St. Augustine, says : — " Ibique in magna area sa- 
cellum in quo sepultus est S. Jordanus, unus ex discipulis 
Augustini Anglorum Apostoli" (vol. v. fol. 64). The 
ancient tradition is that the abbey was built on the spot 
where stood St. Augustine's oak. The chapel of St. Jordan 
was at a distance from the abbey, in the College Green ; 
and although its exact size cannot now be ascertained, it 
appears to have been standing so late as the year 1491-2, 



136 ON THE DESECRATED AND DESTROYED 

when the sacrist of the abbey accounted for 22 pence re- 
ceived as oblations from the box of St. Clement, adjacent 
to the chapel of St. Jordan in the green place.* During 
the year 1491 fourteen persons claimed sanctuary, each of 
whom paid Ad. for the insertion of his name in the sacrist's 
books. William of Wyrcestre describes the extent of the 
sanctuary with sufficient accuracy, and it evidently included 
nearly the whole of the present College Green. St. Jordan's 
Chapel and St. Clement's Shrine must have been within 
the sanctuary, and detached from the church, because the 
oblations are separately accounted for. 

Chapel of St. Brandon. — This chapel, it is stated, existed 
on the summit of Brandon Hill In the county of Kerry, 
in Ireland, is an eminence called Brandon Hill, with the 
remains of an oratory on its summit dedicated to St. Bran- 
don, who founded a monastery at Clonfert (558). In the 
register of William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, 
under the date 14th August, 1403, mention is made of this 
chapel ; and in an old Latin deed relating to the Gaunts 
(says Barrett), lived here, in 1531, Lucy de Newchirche. 
The remains of this chapel were destroyed in 1565 by Mr. 
Read, who erected a windmill on the summit. 

Chapel of St. Austin— This chapel (says Barrett) stood 
near the fine gate leading to the lower Green. " Thys 
freemied pyle is uncouth to saye whom the same dyd ye 
huyld. But it mode nedes be eld, sythence it was — in the 
days of William le Bastarde." — (Llowlie.) 

Chapel of St. Martin. — In the outer or first ward of the 
castle was situate this chapel. Particular mention is made 
of this chapel in the valuable series of records, called the 
Liberate Rolls, preserved in the Tower of London. These 
authorities, says the late Mr. Hudson Turner, had hitherto 
escaped the notice of all previous writers on Architectural 
history, although a few extracts from them relating to 
Painting in England, were printed by Horace Walpole, and 
more recently by Sir C. S. Eastlake ; they refer to the 
Architectural works executed by order of Henry III. : — 

* Rot. penes Decanum et Capit. Bristol. 



CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 137 

" The king, to the mayor and bailiffs of Bristol. — We 
command you to put glass windows in our hall at 
Bristol, a royal seat in the same hall, and dormant tables 
around the same, and cause the chamber beside that hall 
to be wainscoted ; and let glass windows be made in the 
chapel of St. Martin, and lengthen three of the windows 
of the same chapel, to wit, two in the chancel and one in 
the nave, that it may be better lighted, and let it be white- 
washed throughout. Wainscot the wardrobe under our 
chamber, and let double iron ties be made for the windows, 
with new wooden shutters, and repair the flooring towards 
the privy chamber. And let glass windows be made in the 
other chapel, and build a stone chimney in our chamber, 
and a certain stable nigh the wall of our castle there. Let 
double bars be made in the window nigh our wardrobe and 
the privy chamber, and block up the doors of the chapel 
beside our great hall there, and make a door in the chancel 
towards the Hermitage ; in that Hermitage make an altar 
to St. Edward, and in the turret over that Hermitage make 
a chamber for the clerk, with appurtenances ; also, build a 
kitchen and a sewery beside the aforesaid hall, and find the 
wages for a certain chaplain whom we have ordered to 
celebrate Divine Service in the chapel of our Tower there, 
all the days of our life, for Eleanor of Britanny, our cousin, 
to wit, 50s. per annum." # — Berkeley, Aug. 28, 34 Hen. 
III. 1250. 

William of Wyrcestre makes mention of another magnifi- 
cent chapel for the king, his lords and ladies, situate in 
the principal ward on the north side of the hall. 

Chapel of St. Mary Magdalen. — This chapel, says the 
Rowley Manuscript, was builded by iElle, warden of the 
chapel, near iElle Gate or New Gate. In 1460 it was in 
ruins ; the figures of iElle and Coernicus, that stood in the 
chapel, now exist in a building -at Brislington. 

St. John the Baptist. — Spicer's Hall, or Back Hall. In 
the seventh year of Edward IV., William Canynge, Mayor, 
in the ordinances made for merchants it is mentioned — 

* Domestic Architecture, p. 225. Wil- ought to celebrate the office every day, 
liam of Wyrcestre says, in speaking of the but does it but Sunday, Wednesday, and 
chapel of St. Martin, a monk of St. James Friday. Antiq. of Bristow, p. 156. 



138 ON THE DESECRATED AND DESTROYED 

' ' that the master and fellowship to have at their will the 
Chapel of St. John the Baptist, and the draught chamber 
at Spicer's Hall to assemble in, paying 20s. per annum.' 1 
This chapel was founded by Thomas Knapp, whose arms 
and pedigree are shown by Dallaway.* 

St. George's, Broad-slreet . — This chapel was founded 
by Richard Spicer, about the time of Edward III. William 
of Wyrcestre says this chapel contains in length twenty 
steps besides the space of the chancel. This chapel was 
situate on the north side of the old Guildhall, the last 
window looking into Broad-street. In clearing the ground 
for the present Guildhall the remains were entirely 
removed. 

Chapel of St. Clement. — Barrett says this chapel stood 
on the site of the present Merchants' Hall. John Shep- 
ward, who built St. Stephen's Tower (1470), left con- 
siderable estates to St. Stephen's and St. Clement's. 
Marsh-street terminated with a gate, and attached was the 
chapel of St. Martin, near the site of the present Merchants' 
Hall. 

St. Matthias's Chapel. — " First builded by Alwarde, 
a Saxon, 867, and now (1460) made of the old walls 
of the same," says Leland. The site of this chapel is 
in (New) Bridge-street, now occupied by the Freemasons' 
Hall. 

The Chapel of the Holy Ghost — is described by Leland to 
have been in the churchyard of St. Mary RedclifF. 

A Chapel dedicated to the Three Kings of Cologne exists 
on St. Michael's Hill, attached to which is Foster's Alms- 
house. 

St. Sprite's, or St. John the Baptist's, near RedclifF 
Church. A site is shown on the plan from an old docu- 
ment. It has been called Lamyngton's Chapel, from a 
chaplain of that name, who lived in 1393. When the 

* Antiquities of Bristow, pp. 89, 135. 



CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 139 

building was taken down in 1766, a stone coffin with a 
figure in canonicals, and the name "Johannes Lamyngton," 
(says Barrett,) carved on the slab, was discovered in the 
wall beneath the west window, and was removed into Red- 
cliff Church. Leland says, " This was a paroche before the 
buyldinge of Radclyfe grete new Churche." # 

Attached to the Abbot's lodging, generally called the 
Bishop's Palace, William of Wyrcestre describes a chapel, 
15 feet by 11 feet. Many Norman remains exist in the 
ruins ; but the ecclesiastical window standing above the ruins 
was erected by Bishop Butler in 1738. 

At Brightboow, Bedminster, was a chapel dedicated to 
St. Catherine. Collinson, in his History of Somersetshire, 
says the body of the chapel was 49 feet long and 21 feet 
wide; the chancel 27 feet long and 16 feet wide. A few 
ancient windows and doors are still visible ; indicating that 
the remains are part of an ecclesiastical building of the 
15th century. 

St. Vincent's. — William of Wyrcestre is the only autho- 
rity for this chapel. He states that the hall of the chapel 
of St. Vincent, of Gyston Cliff, is nine yards long, and 

breadth three yards : the length of the kitchen is , 

breadth three yards ; from the chapel of St. Vincent to the 
lower water 40 fathoms, and from the " ovyr part of the 
mayn grounde londe " of the high rock down to the said 
chapel of St. Vincent, 20 fathoms ; and from the high main 
firm land of the said rock down to the lowest water ground 
of the channel of Avon and Froom is 60 fathoms, and much 
more.f He goes on to describe the chapel of the Hermi- 
tage as "20 fathoms from the firm ground in height," as 
measured by himself, September 26, 1480, and situate 
about the middle of the rock as you ascend to the high 
ground. 

Besides the churches and chapels in the city of Bristol 
and its immediate vicinity, the scattered memorials of 
which I have endeavoured, in the foregoing observations, 
to bring together, as an aid to the inquiries of the an- 
tiquary, there were also numerous chantries. In the enu- 

* Itin. vol. v. p. 93. f Antiquities of Bristow, pp. 53. 150, 162. 



140 ON THE DESECRATED AND DESTROYED 

meration given by John Cottrell, Vicar- General of Paul 
Bush, the first Bishop of Bristol, consecrated in 1542, not 
fewer than thirty-four chantries are mentioned. A list 
may be found in Barrett's History, stating the amount of 
their annual income. 

John Bindon. 



Whilst the foregoing memoir was actually in the printer's 
hands some curious remains were brought to light in 
Bristol, of which the following account has been received 
from Mr. Bindon, accompanied by several sketches, from 
which illustrations have been prepared. These memorials 
of an ancient structure, now unfortunately destroyed, form 
an interesting addition to his contributions to this volume. 

On pulling down some old premises midway between 
Corn-street and Nicholas-street, in the city of Bristol, for 
the erection of the new Athenseum Buildings, some very 
perfect architectural remains have been exposed ; and as 
in the course of some few days it will be necessary to 
remove them, I have made the accompanying sketches. 
(See the accompanying plate.) 

The building is north and south, and appears to have 
been sliced out of the parish of St. Nicholas : it stands in 
the parish of St. Leonard's, and nearly parallel with the 
remains of the ancient crypt of that church. The dimen- 
sions are 57*0 ft. by 16 ft. 6 in., with an entrance on the 
south side. Between these remains and Nicholas-street 
stands a building called Alderman Whitson's Mansion : he 
was one of the Bristol benefactors of olden times. From 
the architectural details, which are in good preservation, 
the date of the edifice can be generally ascertained, the 
principal part appearing to have been erected in the early 
part of the thirteenth century. On the west side three bays 
of circular arches are formed, springing from triple shafts, 
with moulded caps and bases. The exterior shafts appear 
more approaching to Norman, and those in the middle to 
Early Gothic. The shafts are elevated about 8 feet from 
the surface of the present ground, and a set-off in the wall 



CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. 141 

indicates a floor at the level of the bases of the shafts ; on 
the opposite wall are two two-centred openings, at present 
forming recesses. The south wall is perforated by a most 
simple, Decorated, two-light, trefoil-headed window ; and 
on the inside of the mullion, the curious contrivance (I 
believe found only in examples of windows of this date) of 
an addition to the upper part, for a bolt to fasten an inside 
shutter. I know of no other instance in Bristol of this 
peculiar feature ; but at Bitton, Gloucestershire, there is a 
similar contrivance. Under the window is a very fine 
masonried, two-centred doorway : its jaumbs are worthy of 
remark, showing from what simply-formed mouldings beauty 
can be produced. The exterior exhibits only plain walls, 
excepting the east side, where there are two Norman but- 
tresses. 

John Bindon. 



142 



NOTES, HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL, OF 
THE PRIORY OF DOMINICANS, BRISTOL. 




Plan of the Remains, (1845).* 

The city of Bristol has long been celebrated for its me- 
diaeval remains, both ecclesiastical and domestic. Most of 
the monastic buildings exist only on record. Some of their 
chapels, however, have been preserved as parish churches, 
but of their domestic portions, the subject of the following 
paper is the only example, of which sufficient is left to lead 
to even an approximation of its original form and character ; 
and although the monastery of Blackfriars was by no means 
as extensive and magnificent as many of its contempora- 
ries, yet, in their absence, it may be considered interesting, 
as indicating somewhat of the nature of domestic arrange- 
ments in the religious establishments of that time, and as 
affording matter for study in the simple yet elegant cha- 
racter of its architectural features. 

Early in the 13th century, by the authority of Pope 
Honorius III., a new religious order of mendicant friars, 

* The light shade indicates modern masonry and building. 



THE PRIORY OF DOMINICANS, BRISTOL. 143 

instituted by St. Dominic de Guzman, was established in this 
country, and designated the Dominicans or Black Friars. * 
The principal and peculiar distinction of the " Fratres prse- 
dicatores" was necessarily that of poverty ; and such was the 
effect produced on the minds of the people, by the contrast 
with the rich possessions and grasping character of the other 
clergy, secular and regular, that their establishments were 
not long in accumulating wealth and extensive revenues. 
On examination, however, we find that their riches were 
not expended in shows, in their buildings, or on them- 
selves ; for they continued faithful, to a great extent, to 
their profession, and still presented the appearance and 
reality of a hard rule of life. Nor must we forget that 
from amongst the Dominicans and Franciscans emanated 
some of the most learned of the day, and that they num- 
bered in their community men whose names will ever be 
remembered with veneration and esteem. 

It was for monks of this order that Sir Maurice Berkeley 
de Gaunt and Mathew de Gurney founded the priory under 
consideration. Sir Maurice, who took the name of Gaunt 
"from the family property of his wife Alice, "f was the 
son and heirj of Robert the second son of Robert Fitz- 
hardinge, and heir to his uncle Mauritius de Gaunt. This 
Robert also adopted the name of his wife. Of the other 
founder we have scarcely any account, further than that 
he was the younger brother of Sir Maurice de Gaunt, re- 
taining, however, his own family name. The following 
transcript of William of Wyrcestre, from the register of the 
monastery, shows the esteem in which it was held by the 
higher as well as the lower classes of the people. 

1 ' In martirologio kalendarii fratrum prsedicatorum Bris- 
tollise. 

" Johannes Vielle, armiger, primus vicecomes Bristolliae, 
obiit 29 die march." 

" Walter us Frampton obiit die 2 januarii." 

" Wilelmus Curteys, qui fecit fieri magnam crucem in 
cimiterio, die 2 aprilis." 

" Ricardus Spicer, mercator, obiit primo die junii." 

" Mattheus de Gurnay obiit 28 die augusti — unus fun- 
datorum fratrum praedicatorum." 

* Called also Friars preachers (" Fratres f Seyer's Memoirs, 

prsedicatores "). X Leland. 



144 NOTES, HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL, OF 

" Domina Matilda Denys, quse obiit die ... octobris, 
anno Christi 1422." 

" Dominus Mauricius de Berkle, et domina Johanna, uxor 
ejus, . . jacet in choro in sinistra altaris, dieprimo octobris." 

" Dominus Wilelmus Dawbeny, miles, qui jacet in choro." 

" Cor domini Roberti de Gornay jacet in ista ecclesia, qui 
obiit die 20 novembris." 

"Dominus Ancelinus de Gurnay, qui jacet in choro, die 
15 novembris." 

" Dominus Mauricius Berkley, miles, obiit 26 die novem- 
bris." 

" 1429. Frater Wilelmus Botoner obiit die 15 decem- 
bris."* 

Of the buildings of the convent we have no account 
beyond the somewhat laconic notice given by W. de Wyr- 
cestre of the church, the ruins of which existed as late as 
1 748. He says — " Longitudo chori ecclesise fratrum pradi- 
catorum continet 26 virgas vel 44 gressus. Latitudo chori 
continet 8 virgas vel 14 gressus. Longitudo navis ecclesiae 
continet 31 virgas vel 58 gressus. Latitudo ejusdem con- 
tinet 21 virgas vel 44 gressus." f 

The present remains comprise two rectangular buildings, 
running east and west, and lying parallel to each other. (See 
plan.) The northernmost is considerably the longest, and 
probably formed the south side of the quadrangle, of which 
the nave of the church formed the north ; this is apparent 
from the corbels that still remain in the north wall, and 
which doubtless supported the principals of the cloister 
roof. The communications from the ground floor on this 
side, and the set-off in the wall immediately below the sill 
of the upper windows, as well as the absence of any lights 
below, would seem to corroborate this supposition, and 
would thus fix the position of the church, the length of the 
building being that of the cloister (viz.) 40 paces. j 

The whole of the south wall and the floors are modern, 
and the apertures in the lower part of the north wall are 
blocked up.§ At the west end were the remains of a door- 

* Itiner. W. de Wyrcestre, edit. Na- de Wyrcestre, p. 188. 
smyth, p. 233. § By the kindness, however, of the 

f Edit. Nasmyth, p. 233 ; at p. 188 it Architect, Mr. Wm. Armstrong, I am 

is stated — " Chorus ecclesise fratrum prae- enabled to give, in the accompanying plan 

dicatorum continet 45 gressus/' and section, the form and arrangement of 

X " Claustrum eorum ex omnibus 4 par- the building, prior to the alterations, 
tibus continet 40 gressus." — Itiner. W. 



PRIORY OF DOMINICANS, BRISTOL. 




I 




Section looking East. $th of an inch to a foot. 



THE PRIORY OF DOMINICANS, BRISTOL. 



147 



way that led into a small building*, by which access was 
obtained to the upper floor ; the mark where the roof 
abutted against the wall, is still visible ; but every other ves- 
tige has been destroyed. 

The floor, as shown in the section, was supported by oak 
beams, 15 in by 16 in., and struts 12in. by8in., resting onstone 

brackets. The upper 
story consists of one 
long unbroken apart- 
ment (the dormitory). 
It is lighted by a se- 
ries of lancet windows 
in the north wall, and 
formerly by a similar 
series, but square head- 
ed, in the south wall. 
The west window is 
of two cinque-foliated 
lights, and the head 
filled with tracery of 
no ordinary degree of 
beauty. The rear 
arch is chamfered, and 
the jambs are widely 
splayed. Below this 
window, on the exte- 
rior, may be seen the 
arch of a doorway 
which formerly open- 
ed into the lower apart- 
ment ; it is semi-circu- 
lar, and has a plain round molding. The east window, now 
seen, has been removed from its original position in the east 
wall of the other building, which is / 

seventy or eighty years older, and .JllL 

of the matured early English style. 
It consists of three trefoiled headed 
lights, the centre one being higher 
and wider than the others ; the 
mullions and string below, or ra- 
ther forming part of the sill, are 
molded in a bold but elegant style : 

l2 




W. Window, Doemitoey. i of an inch to a foot. 



J - 







MULLION. 



Steing-. 



148 



NOTES, HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL, OF 




the former are chamfered merely on the inside ; but the 
rear arch, supported by its nook shafts, with their beautifully 
molded capitals and bases, more than 
compensate for the loss. 5 * The roof, 
which is an original one of the 14th 
century, is divided into twelve bays. 
The scantlings of the timbers are : — 
footbeams, 12 in. by 9 in. ; principals, 
1 2 in. by 5 in. ; rafters, 6 in. by 6 in. ; 
braces, 1 1 in. by 3 in. ; purlines, 8 in. 
Cap & rear Arch. Mold, by 5 in. ; and wall plates, 4 in. by 3 in. 
The whole length of the dormitory inside the walls, is 86 feet 
3 inches ; and the breadth or width 23 feet.f 

We come now to the other vestige of the monastery 
(known as " the Baker's hall"), which lies about 58 
feet south of, and within a few inches parallel to, the dor- 
mitory. It is, as before mentioned, of earlier date, and 
may very probably be referred to the time of the original 
foundation in 1229. Upon the ground floor are the re- 
mains of a cloister | (on the north side) communicating 
with an open space formerly occupied by cloisters ; north- 
wards, and with various domestic offices on the south side, 
in one of which the fireplace and its accompanying chimney 
are still extant. The upper story of this building was 
apparently the lesser hall of the Friary. It still possesses 
features to interest, though perhaps little to admire ; it 
should, however, be seen prior to the other building, as 

* The walls vary from 2 ft. 9 in. to 3 ft. this restored drawing is made, I am in- 

10 in. debted to the kindness of the gentleman 

f The details are drawn to a f in. scale. before mentioned. The lights of the upper 

+ For the measuiements from which windows are the only portion for which 1 




Section through Cloister. -J^th of an inch to a foot. 



have no authority. The original character 
of these windows was destroyed, on their 
removal to a new cloister; but fragments 



that have been discovered of the others 
are still preserved. 



THE PRIORY OF DOMINICANS, BRISTOL. 149 

otherwise the barbarisms of whitewashed roofs and doors, 
sham ceilings and sash windows (likewise whitewashed), 
will appear by comparison the more offensive. The hall is 
lighted on three sides, the east window, as has been 
already noticed, having been removed ; the rear arches of 
all the other windows and some very much mutilated re- 
mains of a fireplace in the west wall, together with the 
roof, w r hich is only visible in places, are preserved ; the 
latter is especially interesting as being in, all probability 
of the same age as the building it covers. It is divided 
into six bays by obtusely pointed ribs * supporting collars, 
from which rise king-posts connected to one another by 
means of curved longitudinal struts ; the acute angles 
formed by the principals and the collars are destroyed by 
the insertion of small curved pieces, which add greatly to 
the effect. The principal timbers are chamfered, and the 
pitch of the roof is good. The length of the hall, inside 
the walls, is 49 feet 3 inches, and the width 24 feet 3 inches. 
The thickness of the walls varies from 2 feet 9 inches to 3 
feet 6 inches. 

Having, then, the relative positions of the lesser hall, 
the dormitory, and the greater hallf of the priory fixed, 
together with the inference I have before drawn relative to 
the church, it requires but little knowledge of conventual 
establishments to form something like an adequate idea 
of the extent and arrangement of the buildings of the 
priory, especially as the boundary lines mentioned by 
William of Wyrcestre are still attainable. I cannot, how- 
ever, close this paper without drawing attention to the 
miserable state of the building last described, the principal 
features of w T hich (the roof) would, I think, on thorough 
exposure, prove to be (as I have already intimated) one of 
those examples of early English carpentry, whose peculiarly 
rare occurrence renders them so much the more interesting 
and valuable. 

E. W. Godwin. 

* The corbels or pillars, if any, have the two former buildings, and from its ex- 
been entirely destroyed. tent and situation, I have concluded it to 

t From the ancient character of the have been the remains of the great hall, 
base of the meeting-house connecting 



150 



ON THE PAINTED GLASS AT BRISTOL, WELLS, 
GLOUCESTER, AND EXETER. 

BY C. WINSTON, ESQ. 



My principal object in writing this Paper is to call attention 
to the remains of painted glass in Bristol Cathedral, and the 
Mayor's Chapel ; bat as Wells, Gloucester, and Exeter Ca- 
thedrals are easy of access from Bristol, and contain many 
interesting specimens of painted glass, I have been induced 
to include in this sketch a short notice of the remains exist- 
ing in those edifices, in the hope that it may prove useful to 
such persons as are inclined to pursue the subject further. 
I do not pretend to do more than call attention to these 
interesting specimens ; to examine them at length would 
occupy too much time ; and, I should add, that not having 
visited Bristol and Exeter since 1849, Wells since 1848, 
and Gloucester since 1846, the remarks I am about to offer 
must be taken as applicable to the state of the glass at 
those periods respectively. 

I propose to notice : — 1st, the Bristol glass ; 2ndly, the 
Wells ; 3rdly, the Gloucester ; and, lastly, the Exeter. 

The first window that claims our attention is the east 
window of Bristol Cathedral. In 1847, it underwent a 
judicious restoration, in course of which the encrusted dirt 
was removed, which obscured the glass and rendered the 
more delicate ornaments invisible, such as the diaper 
patterns in the arms and the border of the window. 
The ancient glass was scrupulously retained, and modern 
used only to supply actual deficiencies ; so that this win- 
dow has lost nothing of its interest by being restored. 

A great deal of modern glass was necessarily employed in 
the lower lights, and in the three upright lights in tbe upper 
part of the window, the design of the modern glass being 
taken, as much as possible, from the original fragments now 



ON THE PAINTED GLASS AT BRISTOL, ETC. 151 

worked up in those lights, and from the slight sketch given 
of the window in " Lyson's Gloucestershire."* The remain- 
der of the window, however, is filled with the original glaz- 
ing. The old work, throughout, may be easily distinguished 
from the new, by the different texture of the glass. 

The window represents a stem of Jesse. The lower 
lights contain figures of the Virgin and Infant Jesus, as 
well as prophets and kings ; in several of which figures 
portions of the original glazing may be observed. Each 
figure is enclosed in an oval panel, formed by the ramifica- 
tions of a vine branch. Some of the foliaged scrolls in the 
heads of the lower lights (which are principally origi- 
nal) f are remarkably graceful in design. The ancient ruby 
ground of the scrolls is enriched by the unusual addition of 
a diaper pattern. Diaper patterns, indeed, are used with 
remarkable profusion in this window, and being executed 
with uncommon boldness are exceedingly effective. The 
figures and scrolls again present themselves in the three 
upright lights in the upper part of the window, in the cen- 
tre one of which is represented the crucified Saviour, and 
in the two others the Blessed Virgin and St. John the 
Evangelist ; original parts of all these figures remain. 

The design of the glass in the tracery lights is made to 
harmonize completely with that of the lower lights, by the 
introduction, by way of ornament, of scrolls of foliage into 
the principal openings. The heads of Prophets, or Pa- 
triarchs, are even inserted in the middle of eight of the 
smaller tracery lights : these heads are the only part of the 
design which cannot be easily made out from the floor of the 
choir. The black letter monogram, J $} C, in one of the 
spandrels, should be noticed as being evidently an inser- 
tion ; it is painted on later glass than the rest. In the 
upper tracery lights is a display of heraldry, of singular 
excellence, by the aid of which we may perhaps venture 
to refer the date of the glass to the latter part of the reign 
of Edward the Second. 

The absence of Gaveston's arms from the window proves, 
I think, conclusively that the glass was put up after the 
murder of that favourite in 1312 ; and the presence of the 
Earl of Hereford's arms appears to afford some evidence 

* See Lyson's Gloucestershire, plate xcii. 
t One is given in Lyson's Gloucestershire, plate xciii. 



152 ON THE TAINTED GLASS AT 

that the glass was put up before 1322, in which year Hum- 
phrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, was slain in open rebel- 
lion against his sovereign. At all events, I think it clear 
that the glass was put up before the ascendancy of Morti- 
mer, Queen Isabella's favourite ; for not only are his arms 
omitted, but those of two of his victims are present : viz., of 
Edmund Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel, who was put to death in 
1 326 ; and of Le Despencer, or Spencer, who also perished 
in the same year. The son, having married one of the 
sisters and eventual heiresses of the last Gilbert of Clare, 
who died in 1314, and having become Earl of Gloucester, 
will sufficiently account for the presence of the Clare coat. 

The royal arms of England — the three lions on a red field 
— of course have allusion to the sovereign ; and the fleur- 
de-lis border to some of the lights may be well supposed to 
have reference to the French ancestry of Queen Isabella. 

On the whole, I think, there is no objection to assign- 
ing the year 1320, or thereabouts, as the probable date of 
the glass in the east window. 

The glass in the side windows of the choir will, I fear, 
require a somewhat more detailed description, on account 
of its mutilated and confused condition. 

It will be convenient to mention, first, what I conceive to 
be the remains of the original glazing of these windows ; 
and to begin with the second window from the east on the 
north side of the choir. 

It is evident, I think, that the glass in the tracery lights, 
and in the pierced transom, as well as that composing the 
Martyrdom of St, Sebastian, — in the three upper lights, — 
belongs to the window ; but I do not think that any of the 
original glazing of the three lower lights remains, except 
the canopy spires in the cuspidated heads of the two outer 
lights. The occurrence of the heraldic border of fleurs-de- 
lis and lions, in the tracery lights and both tiers of lower 
lights, certainly affords a strong ground for thinking that 
the glazing, which I have designated as original, formed 
part of one and the same window. It is easy, I think, 
to perceive what was the original design of the window 
when in a perfect state. The topmost tracery light, now 
devoid of painted glass, was no doubt ornamented in the 
same way as the two others. Each of the lower lights in 
both tiers contained a canopy ; but whether the canopies 



BRISTOL, WELLS, GLOUCESTER, AND EXETER. 153 

in the lower tier of lights covered single figures only, or 
one group of figures like the canopies in the upper tier 
of lights, — as also, whether, in either tier, the pictures 
reached down to the bottom of the light, or had some 
ornamental pattern beneath them,— must remain pretty 
much a matter of conjecture. The group alluded to, in the 
upper tier of lights, will repay examination. The figure 
of St. Sebastian, pierced with arrows, occupies the centre 
light. An archer, shooting at him with a bow, is con- 
spicuous in the eastern light ; and the head of a corre- 
sponding archer exists in the western light, but is so ob- 
scured with dirt as to be scarcely visible. Immediately 
below the figure of St. Sebastian is represented a regal 
person lying asleep, with a dog having one foot on his 
shoulder, and apparently licking his face with its tongue. 
This painting does not seem to have any connection with 
the legend of St. Sebastian, and was probably brought into 
such close proximity to the Martyrdom in the course of 
repairs. Can it represent the " Story of the king who was 
rescued, by the fidelity of his dogs, from a sedition plotted 
by his courtiers ;" to which story allusion is made, by Mr. 
Hudson Turner, at page 262 of his recently published His- 
tory of Domestic Architecture ? 

In the next window, the glass of the tracery lights is 
original ; and so, I think, are the canopy spires in the two 
easternmost of the lights of the upper tier, and some, if 
not all, of the canopy spires which fill the cuspidated heads 
of the lights of the lower tier. The merchants' marks in the 
two quatrefoils, and the little ornaments in the spandrels 
under the transom, are undoubtedly in their original posi- 
tion. Of course, nothing further can be conjectured respect- 
ing the design of the window when perfect, than that the 
lower lights contained figures and canopies, with probably 
an heraldic panel beneath each canopy. It is reasonable to 
suppose that the donor of the window was a merchant. 

The remains of original glazing in the first window from 
the east, on the south side, are even more scanty. None 
of it exists above the transom ; but in the quatrefoils 
below the transom are two coats of arms, undoubtedly in 
their original situation, which may be the means, at some 
future time, of throwing considerable light on the question 
of date. One of the shields, that in the easternmost qua- 



154 ON THE PAINTED GLASS AT 

trefoil, displays, on a white field, a yellow chevron, on 
which three bucks' heads caboshed are depicted, in outline ; 
and therefore are yellow also.* This apparently false heral- 
dry is ascribable to the by no means uncommon practice, 
especially of the more ancient glass painters, whenever 
they wished to save themselves trouble, of painting in 
simple outline upon the field, or ordinary, any charge 
which could only be properly represented by leading in a 
piece of glass of a different colour. Had not the field of 
the coat been argent, I should have concluded that the 
chevron was properly coloured or; but in the present 
case the tincture, both of the chevron and its charges, is 
equally left in doubt. I have hitherto been unable to 
ascertain the ownership of this coat. Since writing these 
remarks, I have been referred to a Devon family, of the 
name of " Syrmington" or " Servington," whose coat — 
" ermine, on a chevron sable (sometimes azure) , three bucks' 
heads caboshed, or," — affords a clue to the coat in ques- 
tion. The other shield displays, or, three eagles sable — 
impaling, or rather, dimidiated with, the first-named coat. 
It is possible that this is the coat of Rodney, the glass- 
painter, for convenience sake having represented the purple 
eagles of that coat with enamel brown. I have met with 
the bearing of Castile, — argent, a lion rampant purpure, — 
represented by a lion painted black, with enamel brown, 
on a white piece of glass. Whatever be the alliance thus 
indicated, it may however furnish a clue to the date and 
presentation of the window. The remaining glass belong- 
ing to the window is the canopy spires which fill the cuspi- 
dated heads of three of the lower lights. 

The next window retains none of its original glazing. 

The interpolated glass next demands our attention. The 
most interesting portions of it are the figures of two 
knights — one displaying on his surcoat and shield a white 
cross on a red field ; the other a red cross on a white field. f 
The first-mentioned figure, though divided, and part placed 
in each of the north windows, is, on the whole, in better 
preservation than the other, the only remaining portion 
of which, consisting of the legs and some part of the body, 

* It is engraved in Lyson's Gloucester- cestershire, plate xciv. Some mistake has 
shire, plate xciii. fig. 7. been made in colouriny this plate, 

f See the engraving, in Lyson's Glou- 



BRISTOL, WELLS, GLOUCESTER, AND EXETER. 155 

is preserved in one of the south windows, — the first from 
the east. But as both figures have evidently been painted 
from the same cartoon, the missing parts of the one may 
readily be supplied from the other. 

The figure in the north window, which alone I shall de- 
scribe, is armed cap a pie, with a visored basinet and camail, 
legs and arms in plate, or rather cuir bouilli ; and the body 
clad in that peculiar garment which appears to form the 
connecting link between the surcoat and the jupon, and is 
called a cyclas, — having a square piece cut out in front, 
which exposes to view the mail and armour beneath. 
A shield suspended from the neck by a strap, and a lance 
with a triangular pennon, on w T hich, as well as on the 
shield and cyclas, is represented the white cross on the red 
ground, completes the knight's appointments. The whole 
of the canopy, under wdiich the figure stands, may be col- 
lected from the four windows, amongst which its parts are 
distributed. There can be no doubt that, originally, a 
panel containing a shield intervened between the base of 
the canopy and the sill of the window. Such a panel, with 
the arms of one of the branches of the house of Berkeley, 
and having a border attached of the same pattern as that 
belonging to the knight's canopy, may be seen in the 
north window next the east. The fragments of two other 
figures, — one a Pope, the other a Saint,— having attached to 
their canopies a border of the same pattern as that attached 
to the knight's, are scattered about three of the choir 
windows. Thus, reckoning the knight, four subjects, evi- 
dently belonging to one and the same window, remain. 
It would be inconsistent with what has been said, respecting 
the remains of original glazing in the two easternmost of 
the north and south windows, to suppose that these four 
subjects belonged originally to either of those windows. 
The only alternative is, to suppose that they originally be- 
longed to some other window ; as, for instance, the second 
window from the east of the north aisle of the choir, the 
four lower lights of which exactly correspond in size and 
shape with the dimensions of the knight's canopy, and of 
such a panel as I have suggested as having been originally 
placed beneath it. 

There are also, in the easternmost of the north windows 
of the choir, the remains of a knight, bearing the arms of 



156 ON THE PAINTED GLASS AT 

Berkeley of Stratton depicted on his surcoat and square 
banner. This figure is larger than any of the four figures 
already mentioned, and is not at present connected with 
any canopy. Near it is another square banner, displaying 
one quartering of the Despencer coat, — gules, a fret or ; and 
also the remains of another knight. The arms prove. I 
think, that the glass never belonged to either the eastern- 
most north or south window of the choir. It probably was 
removed from a window of the nave. The arms of Mor- 
timer, # and many other interesting fragments collected in 
one of the north windows of the choir, seem in like man- 
ner to have been removed from other windows. 

With regard to the date of the glass originally belonging 
to the side windows, I should not think that it differed from 
that already assigned to the glass of the east window, were 
it not for the heraldic borders of fleurs de lis and lions in 
the second window from the east, on the north side of the 
choir. A border of lions and fleurs de lis, though com- 
moner in glass of Edward III.'s time, in this instance may 
have reference to Edward II. and his queen, Isabella of 
France. But however this may be, there can be very little 
difference between the date of this glass and that of the 
east window. 

With regard to the interpolated glass, I am inclined to 
think that it also is of the same date, or nearly so, as the glass 
in the east window. The border of yellow eagles displayed, 
on a green ground, now in the first window from the east 
on the south side, may certainly, from the agreement of its 
colouring with that of the coat of Gaveston — who bore 
three or more yellow eagles, on a green field — be supposed 
to allude to that favourite, and therefore to be earlier than 
1312 ; but for this supposition I should not have con- 
sidered it to be older than the rest of the glass. With re- 
gard to the knights with the white and red crosses, — the 
opinion that they are impersonifications of the orders of the 
Hospitallers and Templars, would require the date of the 
glass to be put as early as 1307, when the Templars began 
to be persecuted in England; or, at least, as early as 1313, 
when the order was suppressed by the Pope : but so early 
a date can scarcely be reconciled with the use of the cyclas, 

* These arms are engraved in Lyson's Gloucestershire, in one of the plates already 
mentioned. 



BRISTOL, WELLS, GLOUCESTER, AND EXETER. 157 

and other peculiarities in the costume of these figures ; 
and, judging only from the internal evidence supplied by 
the glass itself, I should not be more inclined to put these 
figures, than the eagle border, earlier than 1320. The cos- 
tume of the figures would admit of a date as late as 1340.* 
It is therefore possible that these figures, like the fleur-de- 
lis and lion border in the other window, may be of the 
commencement of the reign of Edward III. ; but it is 
impossible to be positive on such a point. 

The rest of the glass in the Cathedral need not detain 
us long. The oldest specimen undoubtedly is the small 
quantity of glass remaining in the tracery lights of the east 
window of the elder Lady Chapel, and which is as early as 
the end of the reign of Edward I. There are some Perpen- 
dicular fragments in their original position, in the west and 
south windows of the transept, the colouring of which is 
remarkably rich. The east windows of the choir aisles are 
both of the same date. It would appear from the arms in 
one of the windows, that they were the gift of Dean Glem- 
ham, in the reign of Charles II. The dulness of these 
windows, as compared with the older examples, is occa- 
sioned by the mode of their execution ; glass coloured with 
enamels being used, in accordance with the practice of the 
day, in preference to glass coloured in its manufacture. 

MAYOR'S CHAPEL, BRISTOL. 

The glass in the Mayor's Chapel affords a means of 
contrasting the later styles of painted glass with the earlier 
styles in the Cathedral. The greater part of it was, I be- 
lieve, brought from Mr. Beckford's house at Font Hill. 
Amongst other specimens of cinque cento work, I may 
mention an excellent figure of St. Barbara, in the east 
window ; and a companion figure, of St. Catharine, of in- 
ferior merit. These, as well as most of the specimens of 
cinque cento, seem to be of Flemish workmanship. The 
scourging of Christ, in one of the north windows, is re- 
markable for the use made of " sprinkled ruby " to repre- 
sent His lacerated body. In another of the side windows, 
— the first from the west,— is some late French ornamental 
work, exhibiting the cyphers, mottoes, and emblems of 

* See as late an instance of the use of the cyclas, in Lyson's Berks, p. 424. 



158 ON THE PAINTED GLASS AT 

Henry II. of France, and Diana of Poictiers. Some of this 
glass is dated 1543. 

In the west window of the south aisle of the chapel are 
some very good little German glass paintings ; one of which 
is dated 1537. These works, which of course were origi- 
nally intended for close inspection, show that it is possible 
to combine a very high degree of finish with a full display 
of the brilliant and sparkling qualities of a glass painting — 
a fact which modern glass painters are too apt to overlook. 

WELLS CATHEDRAL. 

The windows of this edifice, eastward of the central 
tower, retain a large proportion of their original glazing. 
And the glass is well worthy of examination, on account of 
its perfect state, and the general goodness of its execution. 
Unfortunately there is no other heraldry to guide us, as to its 
date, except the borders of lions and fleurs de lis, or of lions, 
or fleurs de lis only, which occur in most of the windows. 

An inscription in one of the windows of the Lady Chapel, 
which might have decided the question, has unluckily been 
obliterated in its most important part. The words " 1st a 
capella construct a est" are all that now remain. (It occurs 
in the first window from the east, on the south side of the 
Lady Chapel.) We are therefore left to infer the probable 
date of the glass from the internal evidence derivable from 
the style of the painting, the costumes, and texture of the 
material. And the conclusion that I have arrived at from 
these data is, that the Decorated glass at Wells is, as nearly 
as possible, contemporary with that of Bristol. Making 
allowance for a few years difference in date between the 
various specimens at Wells, I think we may assign 1320, or 
thereabouts, as the date of the glazing. 

The east window of the Lady Chapel has been restored, — 
I wish I could add as conscientiously as the east window 
of Bristol has been ; for the artist here has thought proper 
permanently to obscure the remains of the old glass, as 
well as the modern glass used in the restoration, — a device 
which, whilst it fails to render the modern glass undis- 
tinguishable from the old, greatly impairs the general effect 
of the window by depriving it of brilliancy. However, as 
there can be no doubt that the old design has been adhered 



BRISTOL, WELLS, GLOUCESTER, AND EXETER. 159 

to in the restoration, the window in its present state shows 
at a glance, what the side windows show only on careful 
examination — that the lower lights of these windows were 
filled with two tiers of figures and canopies. The tracery 
lights of the east window are filled with angels bearing the 
instruments of the Passion. The topmost tracery light of 
three of the side apsidal windows contains the emblem of 
one of the Evangelists, the fourth emblem has evidently 
been lost : and the other lights of the window, on the 
north side next the east, contain heads of Patriarchs ; and 
those of the opposite window the heads of ecclesiastical 
Saints. Some of these heads are very favourable specimens 
of the skill of the glass painters of the period, and the idea 
of filling these small openings with busts, instead of entire 
figures, was happy. The same mode of filling the tracery 
lights is adopted in some of the other windows in the im- 
mediate vicinity of the Lady Chapel, which retain their 
original glazing. Amongst the busts are the heads of 
sainted Popes and Bishops, the names being written on 
labels behind. 

The east window of the choir is of singular design. The 
lower lights are filled with a Stem of Jesse, terminating, as 
at Bristol, with our Saviour on the Cross ; and the tracery 
lights with a representation of the Day of Judgment. 
Magnificent as is its colouring, the general effect of the 
window, owing to the too crowded character of the compo- 
sition, is inferior to that of the east window of Bristol. It 
is impossible to distinguish the small figures in the Judg- 
ment, clearly, from the floor of the choir ; and the insertion 
of canopies over the figures in the Jesse tends to confuse 
the design. 

The clearstory windows, on each side of the choir, had 
originally a figure and canopy in each of their lower lights. 
One of the figures, in the north window next the east, 
represents St. George, clad in a surcoat which reaches to 
the knee. He wears a helmet, avant and rerebras, shin 
pieces and sollerets of plate, or rather cuir bouilli, the rest 
of his person is defended with mail, on his shoulders are 
aiglettes. The costume of this figure appears to harmonize 
with the date assigned to the glass. Tn the tracery lights 
of this window is a continuation of the Judgment in the 
east window. 



160 ON THE PAINTED GLASS AT 

The remains of glass in the Chapter House are but trifling. 
They seem, I think, to be of somewhat earlier date than 
the rest, but still are of the time of Edward II. 

There are some early Perpendicular fragments in the 
windows of the nave and transept. Some of the figures 
have the visored basinet and camail, the jupon, and heavy 
sword belt. 

In the west window of the nave is some cinque cento glass, 
the more valuable as it happens to be a dated example. A 
Gascon inscription, as I believe, sets forth the year of grace 
1507. 

GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL. 

The great attraction of Gloucester Cathedral is its magni- 
ficent east window, in many respects the finest in England. 
From the abundance of heraldry, in the lower part of this 
window, I have little doubt that its date could be ascer- 
tained with considerable exactness ; but the task of making 
out the charges on the shields has, owing to the dirty state 
of the glass, hitherto proved beyond my power. Though 
a decided enemy to Restorations, which in nine times out of 
ten would be more truly called Destructions, I confess I 
have often wished that this window had been placed in the 
hands of that real restorer, to whose tenderness and care 
the present satisfactory condition of the east window of 
Bristol is due. 

Under these circumstances, I can only hazard a con- 
jecture, that the probable date of the glass is very early in 
the second half of the 14th century. It is in all respects 
thoroughly Decorated in character, though the architecture 
of the window possesses Perpendicular features principally. 
But, as a general rule, it is true, that a change in the style 
of architecture has always preceded, by some years, the cor- 
responding change in the style of painted glass. 

The glazing of the window is in its original position, 
and there is no ground for supposing that the somewhat 
sudden termination of the colouring towards the top of the 
window is accidental. On the contrary, it is evident that 
the arrangement of the glass in the upper part of the window 
is according to the original design. 

The two first tiers of lights from the ground are filled 
with coloured borders and ornamented white quarries, a 



BRISTOL, WELLS, GLOUCESTER, AND EXETER. 161 

shield of arms in a panel is inserted in each light, and a 
small ornamented roundel placed at some distance beneath 
it. The three next tiers of lights throughout the window 
are filled with figures and canopies, and, in the central part 
of the window, another tier likewise ; the spires of this 
row of canopies running into the tier of lights above. This 
arrangement, as might be expected, imparts a grand pyra- 
midical character to the whole design. All the tracery 
lights of the window are filled with ornamented white 
quarries, and enriched with small roundels of ornament 
inserted here and there. 

The colouring of the lower lights— containing figures and 
canopies — is arranged on a principle not uncommon in Early 
Perpendicular glass. The figures are almost entirely white, 
having yellow stained hair, and borders to their robes : 
the architectural work of the canopies is wholly composed 
of white and yellow stained glass. The positive colouring 
is confined to the spire backgrounds of the canopies, and 
the tapestry which lines the interior of the niche. And 
it is carried in uniform streaks, or columns, down the 
window. Thus, the spire grounds and tapestries of the 
central column — which is two lights broad, all the other 
columns being only of the width of one light — are coloured 
red ; those of the next column, on each side the centre one, 
are coloured blue ; those of the next red, — and so on. The 
large proportion of white used in the most coloured parts 
prevents any violent transition, from the figure and canopy 
part, to the quarry part of the window. 

The full effect of the Gloucester window, no doubt, 
depends not only on the simplicity of the composition, 
the largeness of its parts, and the breadth of its colouring, 
but also on the excellence of the material of which the 
window is composed. Still, I know no window so likely 
to improve by long contemplation the taste of modern 
glass painters, and their patrons, than this. 

The side windows of the choir clearstory retain enough 
of their original glazing — which is precisely of the same 
date as that of the east window — to enable us to perceive 
that their lower tier of lights was filled with figures and 
canopies, and their upper tier and tracery lights with 
borders and quarry patterns, having small roundels of 
ornament inserted of the same character as the pattern 

M 



162 ON THE PAINTED GLASS AT 

work in the east window. A corroborative proof, if any 
were necessary, of the originality of the arrangement of 
the glass in the upper part of the east window, with which 
the arrangement of the glass in the side windows so per- 
fectly harmonizes. 

There are very interesting remains of Early Perpendicular 
and Decorated glass in other windows of Gloucester Cathe- 
dral, to which I cannot further advert for want of time. 

The east window of the Lady Chapel, which is in very 
fair preservation, is of the last half of the 15th century. 

EXETER CATHEDRAL. 

The foregoing list of 14th century glass would not be 
complete without some notice of the remains in Exeter 
Cathedral. But this will not detain us long. Very little 
of the glass is in its original position. I have no doubt, 
judging from its style, the absence of the yellow stain, &c, 
that the greater portion is of the latter part of the reign of 
Edward I. ; and the later glass seems early in the reign of 
Edward II. Britton, in his history of the Cathedral, men- 
tions that about 500 feet of glass was bought in 1303-4 ; 
and that a larger quantity was purchased in 1317, at Rouen. 
It is possible that some of this may be extant. I was much 
struck with the purity and hardness of the white glass 
composing even the earlier patterns ; a feature which may 
likewise be remarked in the remains of Early Decorated 
glass at Westminster Abbey, and in Merton Chapel, Oxford. 
It is possible that this glass was obtained from a common 
source. 

The most perfect window is the fourth from the east, 
on the north side of the choir clearstory. There is a great 
variety of very beautiful patterns, and many details of 
peculiar interest, in most of the choir windows, and the 
windows of the chapels about the choir. Several of these 
patterns have been so tastily touched up with colour in the 
last century, — by Peckitt, I presume, — as to be at first sight 
not a little puzzling. On the whole, the Exeter glass will 
be found to repay a visit. 

The modern glass in the west window, and the ruby with 
which the old patterns have been retouched, is interesting ; 
as being perhaps some of the latest ruby that was manu- 



BRISTOL, WELLS, GLOUCESTER, AND EXETER. 163 

factured in England, before M. Bontemps revived the art. 
Some of the bull's eyes of this ruby are inserted in the east 
window of the choir. The date of the west window, I have 
been informed, is 1766. 

Such is the account I have attempted to give of these 
ancient relics. I have purposely omitted many curious de- 
tails, from a fear of trespassing upon your time more un- 
warrantably than I have done already. Yet, imperfect as 
this sketch necessarily is, it will not be useless if it should 
incite but one person to a real study of the subject of painted 
glass. It is only by repeatedly looking at ancient glass that 
we learn to appreciate its peculiarities. It is by slow degrees 
that the eye becomes accustomed to its tone ; still more 
slowly, may I add, is the mind convinced that all styles of 
painted glass have their excellences and their defects. In 
approaching a subject on which there can be no appeal to 
any generally recognized standard, we cannot be too much 
on our guard against being deceived by our prejudices. 
This remark is peculiarly applicable to the study of glass 
painting; because it has, unfortunately, become associated 
with opinions with which it has only an accidental connec- 
tion. Like architecture, painted glass has been, I know 
not why, regarded as a subject of almost purely ecclesiastical 
interest, and hence has been exposed to much misapplied 
criticism ; a great deal of which has reference not exclu- 
sively to glass painting as such, nor to any mode of repre- 
sentation, and is founded rather on theological than artistic 
considerations. 

Certain styles of painted glass, and of architecture, 
moreover, have been regarded as objectionable, or made 
the theme of enthusiastic admiration ; not so much on ac- 
count of their intrinsic defects or excellences, as from a 
dislike or predilection for certain views which are thought 
to be necessarily associated with such styles. For instance, 
we all know that by a certain class of writers, Palladian 
architecture, although so widely differing from the classical 
styles, and although it has been actually more universally 
employed for ecclesiastical purposes than the Gothic, is 
branded as " Pagan," and unholy ; whilst Gothic architec- 
ture alone rejoices in the appellation of Christian architec- 
ture, and certain symbols of acknowledged Pagan origin, 
such as the crescent of the Virgin, bv being associated with 

m 2 



164 ON THE PAINTED GLASS AT 

it, are, as we are told, " hallowed." In like manner, the 
cinque cento style of painted glass is held up to scorn and 
reprobation as a "Paganism;" whilst that of the 13th 
century, " the age of faith," is considered to be truly 
Christian. It is not for me to inquire whether such epithets 
are properly or improperly applied, or whether Christianity 
has deteriorated ever since the time when the spirit of eccle- 
siastical domination was curbed ; but that the continued use 
of these, as well as of other nicknames, is intended to create 
a prejudice, and does, in fact, not unfrequently produce this 
result with unreflecting persons, is indisputable. The stu- 
dent of glass painting must however be superior to such in- 
fluences. He will find that all styles of ancient glass are 
equally worthy his attention ; and, in particular, will not fail 
to perceive that, on comparing one with another, inferiority 
on one point is not unfrequently compensated by, if not 
the cause of, superiority on another ; or, to be struck with 
the general consistency of convention practised in each 
style. For instance, the intense and sparkling colouring 
common to glass paintings of the 14th century, is sought 
for in vain in a cinque cento glass painting ; and the deli- 
cate execution of the cinque cento is equally wanting in the 
earlier work ; yet it is unquestionable that the delicate 
shading employed by the cinque cento artists would, in 
great measure, be lost in the powerful colouring of a glass 
painting of the 14th century ; and it is certain that nothing 
would be more miserable in effect, than a work executed in 
the simple manner of the 14th century, upon the compara- 
tively poor material of the 16th. # 

I am much mistaken if the lesson to be learnt from an 
unprejudiced examination of all styles of painted glass, will 
not tend to a belief that the modern system of copying or 
closely imitating old work is erroneous ; not only on 
artistic principles, but considered as a means of merely re- 
producing their effect. 

I am aware that certain writers, more distinguished, per- 
haps, for the flippancy of their remarks than the accuracy 
of their statements, deny the existence of any perceptible 
difference between the glass, for instance, of the 14th cen- 
tury and that used in imitation of it. But, as the exist- 

* Messrs. Pugin & Hardman's imita- fully prove the correctness of the opinion 
tions of 13th and 14th century glass most stated in the text. 



BRISTOL, WELLS, GLOUCESTER, AND EXETER. 165 

ence of such difference is capable of easy proof, and as 
these self-styled "leaders of the movement" are, notwith- 
standing their pretensions, only following the lead of public 
opinion, I shall expect to find them asserting their belief 
in its existence, as soon as that belief becomes popular ; as 
it must, if such examination of old glass as 1 have recom- 
mended be generally made. Believing, as I do, that 
although glass might easily be manufactured more harmo- 
nious in its tone than that now used, yet, that it will ever 
be a matter of extreme difficulty to reproduce the diapho- 
nous, rich, or pearl-like material of the 14th and previous 
centuries : I confess I see no reason for abandoning or 
qualifying any of the views I have long since expressed, 
relating to the invention of a 19th century style of glass 
painting, sufficiently plastic to mould itself into conformity 
with the character of edifices of different dates : # and, in the 
formation of which, ideas, especially as regards arrangement 
of colour, should be freely borrowed from those later styles 
in which a material was employed not dissimilar in cha- 
racter from that which can now, or will, in all likelihood, 
be obtained. Even if the time permitted, it would be 
premature, if not unnecessary, to enter into the details of 
the scheme more fully than I have done already on various 
occasions ; since I am persuaded that, if the necessity of 
forming a new style is conceded, the mode of carrying it 
into effect will soon suggest itself. The opinion that a new 
style is necessary, to meet technical difficulties and the re- 
quirements of the age, is all that I seek to establish. The 
only indulgence I crave is, that the subject may be thoroughly 
investigated before that opinion is condemned. 

C. Winston. 

* Since the above remarks were in type, true to that of the 12th and 13th centuries, 

some experiments, the result of which I Still the necessity for a 19th century style 

stated in a paper read before the Royal continues ; although the discoveries alluded 

Institute of Bristol Architects, 14th June, to will involve a modification of some of 

1852, have shown the possibility of making my previously expressed views as to what 

white and coloured glass equal in tone, and that style should be. 



166 



SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 



In presenting this brief memoir of the many interesting 
sepulchral monuments of the city of Bristol, I do not claim 
originality, having availed myself, to a great extent, of the 
assistance of various historical evidences, and also of that 
of many excellent works published on the subject. 

The earliest sepulchral monuments in this country con- 
sisted of heaps of stones and burrows or tumili of earth, 
which were raised at the place where the ashes or body of 
the deceased were deposited ; and some have supposed that 
the more in reputation the person had been, the higher the 
tumulus was raised over the remains. The first instance 
on record of burial in churches is that of Augustine, the 
Roman missionary to the Anglo-Saxons, who was buried 
in the year 1091, in the church of St. Peter and St. Paul, 
founded by himself, and standing just without the walls of 
Canterbury. When the practice of burying in churches 
and cemeteries came into use, grave stones were made and 
tombs erected to mark the place where the deceased had 
been buried. Among the various antiquities which the 
city of Bristol possesses, a great number of sepulchral 
monuments are to be found in its cathedral and other 
churches, which, although they are not so sumptuous and 
magnificent as those to be found in many other cities, yet 
they have been set up to commemorate persons who have, 
perhaps, been unequalled for their generous and beievolent 
actions. The remains we possess of these memorials may 
be classed into five kinds, viz. : — stone coffins, incised 
slabs, altar tombs with recumbent sculptured effigies, in- 
laid brasses, and mural monuments. Time and violence 
have destroyed many of these memorials, and many of 
those which remain have suffered from age, neglect, and 
modern innovations ; but, generally speaking, sufficient is 
left to trace out their various characteristics. 



SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 167 

Several years ago an ancient coffin lid was removed from 
the situation it then occupied in the churchyard, to the 
interior of the north aisle of St. Philip's Church. The 
coffin lid has no inscription ; hut on the top is a peculiarly 
carved cross, and round the edges a series of interesting 
Norman arches enriched with the dog-tooth moulding. 
During the restoration of the chapter-room attached to 
the cathedral, several stone coffins were discovered, some 
having been previously moved, and others remained in 
their original position ; and upon being opened, remains of 
the bodies were found encased in horse-hair shrouds, with 
the interstices filled up with earth. One of these coffins 
had a rude carving on the lid, which Dean Beeke, who took 
great interest in works of art, caused to be built into the 
wall of the muniment-room, where it can now be seen by 
those who feel an interest in examples of ancient sculpture. 
The subject is also very remarkable, and has been supposed 
to represent the descent of the Saviour into hell. Near the 
south porch of St. Mary Redcliffe Church, are remains of 
three coffins ; one of them has a slightly relieved sculptured 
effigy on the cover, with two words in old characters un- 
der it, deciphered by Barrett as commemorating " Joannes 
Lamyngton," who was chaplain in 1398 ; this coffin was 
found under the west window of St. Sprite's Chapel, which 
originally stood in the churchyard, and was pulled down in 
1766. The coffin adjoining is quite plain, has a splayed 
edge round it, with marginal inscription in Lombardic cha- 
racters very much defaced ; the other one is of a very 
diminutive size, and has a small effigy on it. 

The crypt of St. Nicholas Church is said to have been 
originally a cemetery of the ancient church, subsequently 
used by the Fraternity of the Holy Ghost as a chapel. It 
contains a stone coffin discovered in 1821, having a finely 
carved cross on the cover, and on the right edge a very 
imperfect inscription, by which it has been discovered that 
the remains of Mabel and Richard le Draper were deposited 
in it, in the year 1311. On its being opened the remains 
of a perfect male skeleton were found, and at his feet a 
skull with some fragments of bones, possibly those of the 
female here interred, the body appearing to have been burnt 
to inclose it within the coffin. It appears that many years 
ago the walls of this crypt were surrounded by coffins : 



168 SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 

only one, besides that mentioned before, now remains, which 
is to be found in the east end. In Bristol Cathedral is a 
stone at the end of the Lady Chapel, with a carved head 
and cross fleurie carved on the top surface : it is attributed 
to Abbot David, who died in 1234. Tt is of the shape of 
a coffin, but of too diminutive a size to lead one to infer 
that it actually is the coffin containing the remains of the 
Abbot. 

There are several very fine examples of incised slabs in 
the city of Bristol, but they are mostly so much mutilated 
and defaced as to make it impossible to trace out whom they 
were intended to commemorate. This kind of memorial 
was most frequently laid on the floor in the shape of a 
coffin lid, being broader at the head than at the feet. In- 
scriptions and epitaphs were engraved on them, to the indi- 
vidual they commemorated, and very frequently the sym- 
bols of his trade or profession, and other ornaments, were 
introduced. In St. Mary Redcliffe Church is a curious slab 
to the memory of William Coke, who was cook to the 
founder William Canynges, and has the symbols of his occu- 
pation, viz. a knife and skimmer, engraved on the stone, 
with an old letter inscription on the top. There are several 
other incised slabs in this church, Temple Church, St. 
Peter's Church, and the Mayor's Chapel, with beautifully 
sunk foliated crosses engraved on them, and inscriptions 
round the edge, the incised parts being filled in with lead ; 
but from their inscriptions being so much obliterated (and 
in some cases only fragments remain), nothing is known of 
them more than their remnants. In the crypt of St. Ni- 
cholas' Church are some very handsome crosses fleuries in 
good preservation, sunk in pennant stone ; and in the crypt 
of St. John's, immediately under the window sills, arc 
several altar tombs, containing incised floriated crosses and 
inscriptions, but which are almost lost through the ravages 
of time and neglect. Within an arched recess in the wall 
on the south side of the same crypt, is an altar tomb with 
panelled front, and a white marble slab on the top, con- 
taining incised figures of a man and two women, with an 
obliterated inscription underneath them : the man is attired 
in a long robe with a gypcicre at his side, showing possibly 
that he was a merchant ; and the two females have long 
flowing gowns, girded at the waist, and veiled head-dresses. 



SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 169 

Sculptured effigies were first introduced in low relief on 
the lid of the coffin, sunk down below the top surface, 
making it appear as though the occupant of the coffin was 
seen through the top of the cover ; in some instances part 
only of the statue was seen, such as the face, hands, feet, 
&c, the lid being so formed on the top as to represent 
apertures through which they were seen ; the outline round 
the effigy generally represented the interior form of the 
coffin, and afterwards developed itself into the form of 
traceried canopies, which very probably gave rise to the 
canopied niches we find adorning the buildings of the 
middle ages. After this introduction a bolder and more 
elaborate style of carving was adopted, leading to the in- 
troduction of those fine full size statues we find on altar 
tombs ; and so valuable to us in presenting, in some in- 
btances, the only portraits to be found of the persons com- 
memorated, also as examples of the costume of various 
periods. The effigies generally received a large amount of 
decoration at the time they were erected, not only from 
architectural accessories, but from the lavish display of 
gilding and painting which was bestowed upon them ; un- 
fortunately, the fashionable style of decoration adopted 
during many years past, have been a free use of white lime 
and yellow ochre, concealing the beautiful colours which 
they once possessed, and destroying the sculpture by filling 
up the cavities ; but we have now to thank the existence of 
Architectural and Archaeological Societies that more in- 
terest is taken in the restoration and preservation of these 
beautiful works of art. 

Bristol Cathedral. — In this Cathedral are eight richly 
ornamented recesses formed in the walls of the chancel and 
aisles ; they constituted part of the original design, being 
constructed when the edifice was rebuilt by Abbot Knowle ; 
they were then occupied by some of those monuments 
which were in the older church, and subsequently from 
time to time as they were required, to other individuals. 
Two of these recesses in the north aisle are vacant. The 
three recesses in the chancel contain the monuments of 
distinguished ecclesiastics. That nearest the east end, on 
the north side, is to Abbot Knowle, the refounder of the 
abbey, who is said to have refused for interment the corpse 



170 SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 

of his murdered sovereign, Edward II., and died in 1332/ 
The front of the tomb is very richly carved and panelled ; 
but a portion of it being concealed by the paving, shows 
that the floor of the chancel has been raised above its 
original level. The adjoining monument is stated by 
Barrett to be to Abbot Newberry, who was a great bene- 
factor to the church, and died in 1463; later writers have 
attributed it to the last abbot of the monastery, Morgan 
Guilliam ap Guilliam ; he died in 1553. The monument 
on the opposite side is to abbot Newland, alias Nail-heart, 
who beautified the church and added many buildings to it ; 
he wrote its history and an account of the Berkeley family, 
which is still in manuscript at Berkeley Castle ; and from 
his charitable deeds he received the appellation of the 
Good Abbot; he died in 1515. At his feet is a shield 
supported by angels, containing his rebus — a heart pierced 
through with three nails. Rebuses were in common use 
about this period, and were so much approved by the eccle- 
siastics that every bishop and abbot used them, although 
they may have been entitled to heraldic bearings. # All 
these effigies are very beautifully carved, in full pontifical 
robes, the heads mitred, and each carries a pastoral staff 
on his right side ; they are very much mutilated, and 
the fronts of the tombs have been cut away for the intro- 
duction of the unsightly pewing improperly introduced 
in this part of the edifice ; the figures have also suffered 
from the prevailing use of the white- wash brush. Near 
the pulpit is an altar tomb in a debased style, containing 
the statue of a skeleton, lying with its head on a mitre, 
and a pastoral staff on the right side ; it is to the memory 
of Paul Bush, the first bishop of the Cathedral, who, 
having incurred the displeasure of Queen Mary by marry- 
ing, was obliged to resign his bishopric, and died in 1558. 
At the lower end of the south aisle, in one of the recesses, 
is the effigy of Thomas Lord Berkeley, who died in 1243 ; 
it was covered with chain armour (which is now either 
filled up or has disappeared), surmounted by a plain loose 
surcoat, which is fastened round the waist by a baldrick ; a 
shield charged with the Berkeley arms lies on the left side, 
and some indications are left of a sword ; the head rests on 

* The rebus of Abbot Burton who erected the altar- piece, was a bur, or shrub, 
growing out of a ton. 



SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 171 

a pillow, and over it is a coiffe de maille ; the feet are 
supported by a dog and lie cross legged, a position which 
has caused much discussion among antiquaries, but in 
this instance we have satisfactory evidence that he was 
a Knight Templar, and was obliged to enter himself as 
such through displeasing his sovereign Henry III. In 
the next recess is another effigy of the Berkeley family, 
supposed to be to the memory of Maurice Berkeley, the 
second lord of that name, who died in 1281. This effigy 
is clothed in armour, surmounted by a surcoat and girded ; 
a shield containing the Berkeley arms is on the left side, 
the head is supported by angels, and an animal is at the 
feet. In the south aisle, under an arch in the thickness of 
the south wall, which was formerly open to the Chapel 
of the Virgin Mary, now used as a vestry-room, is an altar- 
tomb which can only be seen from the vestry ; it is very 
finely ornamented and contains five shields charged with 
coats of arms of the Berkeley, Ferrers, and Quincy families, 
and thereby attributed to the second Thomas, Lord 
Berkeley, whose wives were of the families above men- 
tioned; his death occurred in 1321. Under one of the 
arches between the Lady Chapel and the choir is an 
isolated altar tomb, which had at one time finely carved 
canopied niches and buttresses round it, but much of the 
sculpture has been destroyed : on the top of it are re- 
cumbent figures of a male and a female ; the male figure 
has armour of chain mail partly covered with plate, the 
chain armour being exposed round the neck, the hinder 
part of the legs, and the feet ; a surcoat, on which are 
depicted the Berkeley arms, is thrown over the armour, a 
belt or baldrick is thrown over the right shoulder, and 
a sword lies on each side ; the head is covered with a 
helmet resting on a mitre, and the feet are supported by a 
lion. The female figure has a veiled head-dress with the 
wimple or barbe under the chin, the use of which was 
restricted to the upper classes, and is attired in rich 
flowing drapery, with her head reclining on a cushion 
supported by angels, and her feet supported by a dog. 
This monument had been supposed to be to Robert Fitz- 
hardinge, the founder of the monastery, who died in 1170; 
but it has since been attributed to the third Maurice Lord 
Berkeley, who died in 1368, and Elizabeth his wife; the 



172 SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 

architecture of the monument and costume of the figures 
seem to confirm this supposition, but instances have been 
known of monuments being erected many years after the 
decease of the persons commemorated, and the figures 
habited not in the costume prevailing at the time of their 
death, but that of the time when the monument was erected. 

South of the choir is a mortuary chapel, which has 
against its east wall a tomb of grey marble, once containing 
the effigies of the persons kneeling, and an inscription 
of brass under them ; they were taken away during the 
civil wars, and were to the memory of Sir Richard Newton 
Craddock, who died in 1444, being one of the Justices of 
Common Pleas. The tomb is distinguished by the name 
of a chantry tomb, having an opening at the end, where 
the priest chanted the prayers for the repose of the dead. 
Against the south wall of the same chapel are two massive 
tombs of a date subsequent to the Reformation, one con- 
taining effigies of a man in armour and a female by his 
side, under them two sons and four daughters ; it is to Sir 
Henry Newton, who died in 1599, and his wife ; the other 
monument is to Sir John Newton, who died in 1666. There 
are a few other monuments in this Cathedral, erected at a 
time subsequent to those previously mentioned, and con- 
trasting so much with them in simplicity and beauty of 
design, that it would be a waste of time to notice them. 

The Chapel of the Hospital of St. Mark, now called the 
Mayor's Chapel, contains some very beautifully sculptured 
figures, but very few occupy their original positions. In the 
middle of the Gaunts' Chapel are two very fine effigies of 
knights represented cross legged ; they are both habited in 
chain armour, surmounted by surcoats girdled round the 
waist, their heads enveloped in a coiffe de maiiie, leaving their 
faces open, and resting on diagonal pillows, and dogs sup- 
porting their feet ; one of them is resting his right hand on 
his sword hilt, and on the left side of the other is a plain 
shield. It is uncertain whom these effigies represent ; but 
Dallaway conjectures they are the effigies of Maurice de 
Gaunt and Robert de Gournay, the original founders of the 
hospital, and alludes to their having been placed in his time 
in their original situations, near the altar. 

In the south aisle is a recess with tomb and effigy of Sir 
Henry de Gaunt, who was the first master of the hospital 



SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 173 

of the Gaunts, about 1230 ; it is recumbent, and habited in 
a kind of cote-hardi laced up in front and reaching to the 
thigh, an embossed girdle to which was originally attached 
a sword depending on the left side, and a surcoat reaching 
down to the feet, fastened by a band round the neck ; the 
feet have short boots buckled in front, and are supported by 
a dog. The front of the tomb is panelled ; and although 
much mutilated, appears of a later date than is attributed to 
it. Under a canopy on the north side of the chancel is a 
beautiful carved marble recumbent figure of Miles Salley, 
Abbot of Einsham, afterwards Bishop of Llandaff, who died 
in 1516. It is attired in the chasuble, dalmatic, and other 
ecclesiastical vestments, a mitre on his head, which rests on 
a pillow supported by angels, and a dog at the feet; a 
pastoral staff on the left side, with the crook turning out- 
wards ; and enriched by a scarf, the gloves jewelled, and a 
ring worn over them. Adjoining this is another altar tomb 
in a canopied recess, with the effigies of Sir Thomas de 
Berkeley, who died in 1361, and his wife. The knight is 
in plate armour, and has a sword at his left side, depending 
from a loose embossed girdle ; he wears a helmet with his 
head resting on a mitre, and the feet of both figures are 
supported by dogs ; the female figure has fine flowing 
drapery, a round cap, a necklace with a cross depending 
therefrom, and the head supported by angels. In the north 
aisle is an altar tomb, with the front and ends filled in with 
panels and shields, and in the centre compartment a mono- 
gram — J. C. — but no effigy or inscription; it is supposed 
to be to the memory of John Carr. 

St. Mary Reddiffe Church. — The oldest effigy in this 
church is that in the north transept, of a knight represented 
cross-legged, having a coat of mail with surcoat, a shield on 
the left side, and the right hand on the hilt of his sword, 
which is dependent on the left side from a belt over the 
right shoulder ; his head rests on an angular pillow, and a 
dog supports the feet. It is supposed to be the monument 
of Robert, Lord of Berkeley and Lord of Bedminster and 
Redcliffe, but with great uncertainty, some persons attribut- 
ing it to William de Burton. At the eastern end of the 
north aisle is a richly sculptured canopied monument to the 
memory of Sir Thomas Mede ; it consists of the altar tomb 



174 SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 

and effigies of Sir Thomas Mede and his wife ; the male 
figure is represented with a gown having loose cuffs and 
girded, with a large bag or purse on the left side, and a 
mantle ; the heads of both figures rest on a pillow sup- 
ported by angels, and have the feet supported by dogs. A 
brass inscription was once let in round the edge of the 
altar tomb, but only a small portion remains, giving the 
date of his death, the 20th December, 1475. He was 
sheriff of Bristol, and had a county seat at Failand, near 
the city. The architectural accessories of the adjoining 
tomb is a continuation of the last ; it commemorates Philip 
Mede, brother of Sir Thomas, and his two wives, there is 
no sculptured effigy, but they are represented on a brass 
plate, which will be mentioned hereafter. The centre 
monument in the south transept is to the memory of one 
who did so much for the prosperity of the city, and lived in 
those times when men thought it their immediate duty to 
devote the greater part of their acquired wealth to him who 
gave it to them ; it is to William Canynges, who was sixth 
time Mayor of Bristol in 1389 ; he was a merchant of great 
respect among his fellow citizens, and completed the erec- 
tion of St. Mary Redcliffe Church. This monument was 
erected by him, when his wife died in 1466, as a memorial 
of her and himself, and contains two marble figures ; he is 
habited in his magisterial robes and wears an anlace on the 
right side, and has an extraordinary circular head-dress, 
somewhat resembling a turban, over the left shoulder, with 
a long scarf hanging down in front of the figure. # The 
heads of both figures are supported by angels, and the feet 
by dogs. The female figure has a veiled head-dress, and a 
girdled gown and tippet. Adjoining this monument is an 
effigy in priest's robes, attributed to William Canynges, as 
dean of Westbury, which appointment he received after he 
completed the building of this church, in 1468. Dallaway 
gives the following account of this monument : — That he 
passed the last six years of his life at Westbury College, 
and had procured according to a practice not then unusual, 
his effigy to be carved and placed in the chapel there, with 
a remarkable figure at the feet, of an old man apparently in 
agony, embodying a metaphysical idea of putting off the 

* An accurate representation of this interesting effigy was etched hy Mr. Mollis, for 
his " Monumental Effigies of Great Britain." 



SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL, 175 

old man, and from his having abandoned the lay character. 
When Westbury College was burnt down by Prince Ru- 
pert's army, in 1643, to prevent the parliamentary army 
from taking possession of it upon the surrender of Bristol, 
the monument was saved, and is now in Redcliffe Church. 
He founded in the year 1466 a chapel and chauntry, which 
was dedicated to the honour of God and St. George, and 
also another to the honour of God and St. Catherine, in 
the south transept, where he was buried. On the other 
side of the monument is another robed effigy, which has also 
been attributed to William Canynges, but with more cer- 
tainty to the steward or purse bearer ; he carries a large 
gypciere or pocket on his left side, and bears a similar head 
gear to that over Canynges's shoulder, and has a dog at the 
feet with a large bone in his paws. 

Near the east end of the south aisle of St. James's 
Church is an effigy in a recess, attributed to Robert Earl 
of Gloucester, the founder of the church, who died in 1 147, 
and was buried in a chapel in the middle of the choir of the 
priory of St. James, in a sepulchre of green jasper, sup- 
ported by six low pillars. The figure is small, clothed in 
simple drapery, with a narrow belt buckled round the 
waist, one end depending nearly to the feet ; the hair is 
long and curled, the right hand is laid on the breast, and 
the left gathers up the folds of an outer garment ; from 
its effeminate proportions and being divested of martial 
panoply, great doubts have existed whether it was ever 
intended to commemorate the founder. It has been sug- 
gested to be the effigy of Eleanor, sister of Prince Arthur, 
who died in 1241, after being a prisoner in the castle for 
forty years, and was buried in the chapel of the priory of 
St. James, but was afterwards removed to the nunnery of 
Amesbury. This effigy, however, is certainly not the re- 
presentation of a female, as the costume and other details 
undeniably show.* 

During the repewing of St. Stephen's Church, in 1844, 
a sculptured recess was discovered in the wall of the north 
aisle, containing an elaborate altar tomb, with six recessed 
niches on the front, inclosing small sculptured figures em- 
blematical of sorrow, surmounted by decorated canopies, 

* See the accurate representation of this figure given by Mr. Hollis, in his " Monu- 
mental Effigies." 



176 SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 

the buttresses separating the compartments terminating 
with shields. On the tomb are a male and a female figure. 
The male figure habited in a cote-hardi buttoned down the 
front and reaching to the middle of the thigh ; an embossed 
girdle or belt is buckled across the hips, without any 
appendage ; on the right side are indications of an anlace 
or gypciere. It has no head-dress, and the feet are sup- 
ported on a lion. The costume of the female figure is 
a tight gown, fitting closely and concealing the feet, having 
two pockets in front ; the head is covered with a square 
reticulated cap, and the feet rest on a dog. It is un- 
known whom they were intended to commemorate ; some 
have supposed it to be the monument of John Ship- 
ward, merchant, who erected the tower in 1470 ; the 
monument appears to be of a much earlier date, and cor- 
responds in style with those erected in the reign of Ed- 
ward III., and probably belonged to an older church. # 
Barrett, in his History of Bristol, alludes to the west 
window having effigies of Shipward and his wife in stained 
glass, with an inscription, which most probably was their 
only memorial. 

On the north side of the chancel of St. John's Church 
is a plain arched recess, containing the tomb of Walter 
Frampton the founder, who was mayor of the city in 1357, 
and filled the office twice afterwards. The front of the 
tomb is divided into seven compartments, containing 
shields emblazoned with heraldic bearings. On the tomb 
are effigies of the founder and his lady. He is represented 
in a robe or gown buttoned close down the front, and 
reaching to the feet, close-fitting ribbed cuffs appearing 
under the sleeves, reaching partly over the hands, the hair 
curled on each side, with no head-dress, having moustaches 
and a short beard under the chin. He has a narrow belt 
over the neck with an inscription, from which depends a 
short sword ; the head is supported by angels, and the feet 
by a dog. 

In the crypt of the same church is another altar-tomb 
with two effigies, attributed to Thomas Rowley and his 
wife, whose brass is in the church ; the costume of the 
figures and the style of the monument differ very materially 

* A representation of this beautiful tomb is given in the Archaeological Journal, vol. 
iii. p. 82. 






SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 1/7 

from the brass. The male figure wears the usual secular 
attire, a robe with a mantle, and has the head bare, with long 
hah 1 at the sides. The drapery of the female figure is finely- 
sculptured, with an open mantle secured at the neck, and 
she wears a short pedimental head-dress. 

In St. Mary-le-Port and St. Peter's Churches are arched 
recesses, each occupying a corresponding situation near the 
east end of the north aisle, containing altar tombs, but with 
no effigy or inscription; in St. Peter's Church the mono- 
grams R3T and 12? appear in the carving of the spandrils. 

In the east end of the south aisle of St. Peter's Church 
are two gigantic elaborately carved monuments of a late 
style, one to the memory of Richard Ardworth and his 
wife, who are represented kneeling face to face at a desk ; 
he was a merchant and alderman of Bristol, and resided in 
the building called St. Peter's Hospital. He died in 1634. 
The other monument belonged to a family of the name of 
Newton, and contains the effigy of a lady lying on a richly 
carved sarcophagus, beneath a spacious canopy enriched 
with gilding and colours ; this family resided at Barr's 
Court, and the monuments in the chapel at Bristol Cathe- 
dral belong to the same family ; in front, below the tomb, 
is a sculptured figure of Death. 

There are a considerable number of other monuments 
in the churches of Bristol, erected to the memory of great 
benefactors during a period when the style of art became 
very much debased ; many presenting features of gaudy and 
meretricious ornament, such as are not worthy of imitation. 

Monumental brasses were introduced about the com- 
mencement of the 13th century ; this adaptation no doubt 
arose from the inconvenience of having a number of sculp- 
tured effigies in a church, and such memorials were very 
extensively used in this country ; they demand our atten- 
tion from the numerous beautiful varieties they present, the 
accuracy of their delineations, the excellence of their work- 
manship, and the easy manner in which they maybe copied. 
The material of which they were composed was called 
latten, resembling brass, but more costly, and manufactured 
on the Continent ; instances occur of such figures engraved 
in Flanders ; the plates were generally embedded in pitch 
and secured to the stone with rivets. The incised lines 
were generally filled up with black composition, and the 

N 



178 SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 

ground- work of the figures, armorial bearings, tabernacle 
work, &c., was sometimes covered with enamel of various 
colours, or hard coloured paste, but very little is now left 
of this gorgeous decoration. The brasses existing in Bristol 
are good examples of this kind of monument, and in a very 
fair state of preservation. Upon the floor of the chapel, in 
the south aisle of St. Peter's Church, is a finely engraved 
figure of a priest, and an inscription, by which we find it to 
be to the memory of Robert Loud, chaplain of this church, 
and that he died in 1461. He is habited in the chasuble 
and other ecclesiastical vestments of the period, and has his 
hands uplifted, supporting a chalice with the consecrated 
wafer surrounded by a glory. 

On the floor of the chancel of Temple Church is another 
brass of a priest, without date or inscription ; he is habited 
in a cope, with an embroidered orfray down the front, and 
fastened at the neck by a morse or brooch adorned with 
a cross. This brass had been removed from the church, 
and was kept for some years in the sexton's kitchen, until 
the vicar properly caused it to be placed in its original 
position in the church. On the reverse side of this brass is 
engraved the figure of a lady. The date is considered to be 
1460. In the Weavers' Chapel, at the same church, is a 
brass plate representing the bust or demi figure of a civilian, 
with his hands clasped together, and four Latin lines under 
it : the date is supposed to be 1396, but that has disap- 
peared. He wears a hood and tunic with ornamented cuffs. 

Preserved by the pewing of the Lady Chapel, in St. Mary 
Redcliffe Church, is a figure of a judge, habited in a long 
robe with tight sleeves, a mantle buttoned on the right 
shoulder ; on his head a coif or close scull-cap, and sharp- 
pointed shoes are on his feet. A Latin inscription is placed 
under the figure, and round the margin is a fillet or inscrip- 
tion, by which we find it to be to the memory of Sir John 
Ivyns, who was a judge of the Court of Common Pleas, 
and died in 1439. A curious raised ornament fills up the 
space between each word on the marginal inscription, and 
all the letters are raised. In the chancel of the same 
church is a very handsome monument of John Jay and his 
wife ; he was bailiff in 1456, and sheriff of Bristol in 1472 : 
he was a merchant of great eminence, who married the sister 
of William Wyrcestre, and died in 1480. He is habited in 



SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 179 

a long gown with loose sleeves, and has a girdle with rosary 
depending therefrom, and the head is covered with a coif. 
The female figure has a long tight gown girded at the waist, 
with tight sleeves, far cuffs, and tippet. The head-dress is 
of that description called horned or mitred. Underneath 
the male figure are representations of six sons habited as 
himself, and under the female eight daughters habited as 
herself, with the exception of the coiffures, five wearing the 
wired head-dress, and the other three, round caps. The 
whole is enclosed in a very beautiful traceried double 
canopy, with buttresses at the sides ; a system of decoration 
which was often beautifully introduced in these memorials. 
In the spandrils of the canopy and at the feet of the figures 
are four shields, two charged with a winnowing fan (?), and 
two with a peculiar mark generally known as a merchant's 
mark, it being customary at that time for persons who were 
not entitled to coats of arms to use certain marks, in which 
sometimes the initial letters of the merchant's name were 
introduced in a very distorted manner ; these marks were 
also adopted as signs to distinguish bales of merchandise, 
and were possibly secret marks of the guilds of those days. 
Near this brass is another stone presenting a male and 
female figure, with inscription and shield charged with the 
arms of the deceased, being the memorial of John Brook, a 
judge, and his wife ; he was judge of assize in the reign of 
Henry VIII., and died in 1525. The male figure is in his 
official robes, viz. a gown with loose sleeves, and under- 
neath it another with tighter sleeves, and wears a coif, hood, 
and tippet. The wife wears a plain pedimental head-dress, 
a tight-fitting gown furred at the cuffs and bottom edge ; 
it is secured by an ornamental girdle with two rosettes and 
a chain hanging from it, with a rosette and ornament at 
the termination. In the tomb to the memory of Philip 
Mede, against the wall under the canopy, is an oblong en- 
graved brass plate of a knight, armed in plate armour, and 
wearing a tabard charged with his arms. There are two 
female figures representing his wives, who wear the pedi- 
mental head-dresses, gowns with tight sleeves and long 
girdles — one of them has a mantle charged with heraldic 
bearings ; from their hands proceed inscribed labels, and 
over the figures is a half-length representation of the Deity 
surrounded by rays. 

n 2 



180 SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 

In the floor of the Chapel of Trinity Alms House, Old 
Market Street, are two stones with brasses inlaid on them, 
evidently removed from their original position, Barrett 
mentioning them as having been right and left of the altar. 
They were memorials of John Barstaple, merchant and 
burgess of Bristol, who served the office of mayor three 
times, and founded this hospital ; also of Isabella his wife. 
He wears a loose gown girded round the waist, reaching to 
his ankles, with close sleeves ; a short weapon on the left 
side between a dagger and sword, commonly worn until 
the end of the 15th century, hanging from a strap, and 
called an anlace. The wife wears a long flowing gown with 
tight sleeves, open up the front, secured by a sash, and 
showing the furred edge of the gown, and has a veiled 
head-dress with a barbe or wimple under the chin. Under 
the male figure is a shield with the merchant's mark extending 
considerably above the shield, and under the female figure 
a shield with a coat of arms. These two brasses had very 
elaborate canopies, which are now destroyed, but sufficient 
indications of their original form remain on the stones to 
perfectly restore them. 

In St. John's Church is a brass to Thomas Rowley and 
his wife ; he is said to have founded a chantry in the church, 
and is noticed as having been one of the bailiffs in the year 
1466, sheriff in 1475; he died in 1478, and his wife in 
1470. He is dressed in a close tunic reaching to the 
ankles, and the feet covered with short pointed shoes : a 
gypciere and rosary are attached to the girdle, and the tunic 
is covered with an open mantle lined with fur. The female 
figure is dressed in a long gown with fur tippet and cuffs, 
and the horned head-dress. Labels and inscriptions pro- 
ceed from the mouths of the figures. 

Under the seats of the cathedral, outside the choir, may 
be seen part of a stone showing the matrix of a handsome 
canopy, which Barrett says was removed here in 1684 from 
its position at the choir entrance, and was to the memory 
of Robert Fitzhardinge, Lord of Berkeley, the founder of 
the monastery, and his lady ; if so, the brasses must have 
been engraved many years after their decease. We have 
records of several other brasses in Bristol. At one time 
there were in St. Peter's Church three figures to the memory 
of John Easterfield, who was a merchant and alderman of 



SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS OF BRISTOL. 181 

the city, and died in 1507 : also three effigies to the memory 
of Andrew Norton, Esq., and his wives, Elizabeth and 
Ellen ; he died in 1527. At All Saints' Church was an en- 
graved brass figure of Sir Thomas Marshall, one of the 
vicars of the church, who died in 1434. In St. Michael's 
Church was also a monumental brass, and many others 
have been destroyed. Besides the brasses described, there 
are several instances of mural tablets with brass plates; 
namely, at St. James', St. Werburgh's, and St. Stephen's 
Churches, in a very debased style of engraving, being done 
at a time when these sepulchral monuments lost every trace 
of that excellence of design which they previously displayed. 

J. A. Clark. 



182 



ANCIENT COFFIN-SLAB IN ST. PHILIP'S 
CHURCH, BRISTOL. 



The accompanying illustrations represent the top and one 
side of an ancient tomb-stone, now in the chancel aisle of 
St. Philip's Church, but which, previous to 1824, was lying 
in the adjoining churchyard. 

The tomb, which is slightly ridged, tapers towards the 
foot. The sides are decorated in a rich and rather singular 
manner, by intersecting semicircles with the nail-head 
moulding. The east side, or that at the foot, is more ela- 
borate than either of the others ; the arch here spans the 
entire width of the tomb, and the spandrils, or spaces 
between, are filled with a kind of stiff-leaved foliage in low 
relief. The work on the top is incised, and consists of 
eight roundels — four on each side— placed irregularly, and 
enclosing nine and six-leaved flowers alternately. The 
spaces between the leaves are sunk, which would seem to 
indicate an unfinished state, and that the work, like that at 
the sides, was originally intended to have been in relief. 
At about two inches apart, and running up the centre of 
the tomb, are two incised lines forming a sort of shaft to 
a cross, which is enclosed by a trapezium of the form 
shown by the woodcut. 

From the character of the sides, and the arrangement 
and design of the top, the date may, I think, safely be re- 
ferred to the latter part of the 1 2th century. 

In the accompanying illustrations I have show T n the tomb 
in rather more perfect state than it actually is ; the design, 
in its present mutilated condition, is not very easily dis- 
tinguishable. 

E. W. Godwin. 



185 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 
BY THE REV. J. L. PETIT * 



As I have been requested to draw up, for the present meet- 
ing, a slight architectural sketch of Sherborne Minster in 
Dorsetshire, I need make no apology for selecting so dis- 
tant an object, beyond observing, that as this fine church 
is now undergoing restoration, it is invested with a more 
immediate interest, and it is right to direct to it the atten- 
tion of the antiquary, that he may notice any evidences of 
its history developed by the process, and also be enabled to 
offer such suggestions as may strike him as to retaining or 
changing any features existing at the time the work was 
taken in hand. I say this, as the beautiful south porch 
has been entirely taken down ; and though it appears that 
the arcades in the lower part will be reconstructed, as far as 
possible, with the same individual stones, which are ranged 
in their order on the grass, still, from a drawing I saw of 
the proposed restorations, it seems to be the intention of 
the architect to give the upper part a high-pitched gable 
and pinnacles, with Norman details, instead of the hori- 
zontal parapet which is familiar to all who are well ac- 
quainted with engravings of the building, and which har- 
monized so well with its general lines. 

With the exception of this porch, the general character 
of the church externally is a not very Early Perpendicular, 
the uniformity of which is owing to its almost complete 
re-erection shortly after a fire, which happened in the reign 
of Henry VI., in consequence of a dispute between the 
monks and the townspeople, the account of which, by 
Leland, is quoted in Hutchins' Dorsetshire : — " The monkes 
and the townes-men felle at variance, by cause the townes- 
men took privilege to use the sacrament of baptism in the 

* Read at Oxford, 1850. 



186 SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 

chapelle of Al-halowes. Whereupon one Walter Gallor, a 
stoute bucher, dwelling in Sherborn, defacid clene the font 
stone, and after, the variaunce growing to a playne seditione, 
and the townes-menne, by the meanes of an erle of Hunten- 
dum, lying yn these quarters, and takyng the townes-mennes 
part, and the bishop of Saresbyri the monkes part, a prest 
of Al-halowis shot a shaft with fier into the topp of that 
part of St. Marys Chirch that devidid the east part, that 
the monkes used, from that the townes-men used ; and this 
partition chauncing at that tym to be thatchid yn the rofe, 
was sette a fire and consequently al the hole chirch, the 
lede and bells melting, was defacid. Then Bradeford abbate 
of Shirburn persecuted this inquirie, and the townes-menne 
were forcid to contribute to the re-ediffiyng of this chirch. 
But after this tyme, Al-Halowes Chirch, and not St. 
Maryes, was used for the paroche chirch. Al the est 
parte of St. Mary Chirch was re-edified in abate Brade- 
ford' s tyme, saving a chapelle of our Lady, an ole peace of 
work that the fier came not to, by reason that it was of an 
older building. Peter Ramesunne, next abbate saving one 
to Bradford, builded a fundamentis al the west part of St. 
Marie Chirch, as appears by his name and rebus in several 
places. Ramesunne, abbate, sette a chaplle caullid our 
Lady of Bowe, harde to the south side of the old Lady 
chappie." In a note at the beginning of his Itinerary, 
vol. ii., he says, " John Samme [J. Saunders], abbate, did 
build the este part of the abbay chirch, and Peter Rame- 
sun, abbate there, builded the W. part of the same chirch 
not many yeres syns." 

William Bradford was elected abbot, 1436 ; died, 1459. 

John Saunders was elected, 1459 ; died, 1475. 

Peter Ramsam or Rampisham elected, 1475 ; died, 
1504. 

The style of the church answers altogether to this ac- 
count, and I think we can perceive differences, both in the 
way of improvement and decline, between the works of the 
earlier and later part of the 15th century. But we will no- 
tice these presently. 

Though the church owes its appearance, as regards 
detail, to the Perpendicular style, its original Norman plan 
and structure have not failed to influence its outline and 
proportions. We probably have no part that dates so far 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 187 

back as the period when Sherborne was an episcopal see ; 
but we have Norman remains, neither small nor unimport- 
ant, of a somewhat early Norman character. These are 
the north, west, and south tower arches, some arcades 
above these, now concealed by the late roof, but formerly 
seen from the body of the church, the tower having formed 
a lantern ; and the arches from the aisles of the nave into 
the transepts. Both of the transepts also show Norman 
work in their side walls, not only the western but the 
eastern ones. The south porch was of late Norman, and 
an arch of that style appears in the west wall of the south 
aisle of the nave. There are also late Norman' remains in 
a chapel on the east side of the north transept, opening into 
the aisle of the choir ; viz. an arcade of round intersecting 
arches on its south wall. The east end of this chapel has 
an early English triplet of rich work. The eastern aisle, or 
chapel, of the same transept has also early work, probably 
transitional. The Lady Chapel, which still partly exists, 
though absorbed in the school-house built by Edward VI., 
is early English. A good Decorated window appears in the 
north aisle of the nave, and some remains to the west- 
ward of the nave are either Decorated or Early Perpendicular. 
In the Abbey buildings is a fine specimen of Norman work ; 
being a room with a massive cylindrical column in the 
centre, supporting the vault, which has eight ribs of a 
square section. 

The present church consists of — 

A nave with aisles and a south porch ; 

A central tower, with a north and south transept. The 
north transept has an eastern chapel ; the south, which is 
not of so high an elevation, has both an east and west 
chapel . 

A choir, with an aisle on each side, and also eastward, 
as at Romsey ; 

A lady chapel, of which the western arch appears in this 
aisle east of the choir, and the remains may be seen in the 
school-house ; 

A chapel south of this, partitioned off by a screen, and 
with a roof which seems a continuation of that of the 
south aisle of the choir. This also is now incorporated in 
the school-house. 

A chapel (called the vestry) north of the choir aisle, and 



188 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 



contiguous to the east chapel of the transept ; a buttress 
of the later work of the choir cuts into this chapel. 

On the north side of the nave were the cloisters, of which 
the indications are very clear. These seem to have been 
Decorated or Early Perpendicular. Leland speaks of them 
as having been built by Abbot Frith, "not long afore 
Bradeford's tym." He was confirmed in 1348. 

The west range of these cloisters was annexed to the 
east side of a fine hall, probably the refectory, which now 
remains, though divided into floors. It is of Perpendicular 
character, and has a fine wooden roof. The approach to 
this hall is on the north side of the Abbey buildings, through 
a Norman doorway and vaulted passage, from which you 
ascend by a flight of steps. There is also another room, 
running east and west, with a still richer wooden roof. 
Westward of the north aisle of the nave is a continua- 
tion of its north wall, ex- 
hibiting the division into 
bays, as though the nave 
had been considerably 
longer than at present. 
There are also piers en- 
gaged in the western 
wall, but they do not 
correspond, either in 
style, height, or position, 
with those of the nave. 
The distance between two 
opposite piers of the nave 
is 25 ft. 10*5 in. ; but 
that between the exter- 
nal piers on each side of 
the western door, 19 ft. 
4 in. The south aisle, 
outside of the present 
church, appears to have 
been 16 ft. 6 in. in width, 
and to have had still an- 
other aisle or chapel to 

S.-W. Tower Pier, showing the Norman work the Southward, if We Call 
and the later work. • j^. n j.i 

judge from the remains 
of a pier, which ranges with the wall of the south aisle 




SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 189 

of the church. In the west wall of the south aisle is a 
Norman arch, about equal to that of the porch, both in 
height and span, which opened into this western portion ; 
thus indicating both a partition (the arch not being so high 
as the aisle vaulting) and a communication. The north 
aisle was about 14 ft. in width. 

Now the present nave is of the same width as the an- 
cient Norman one, as it corresponds with the tower arch now 
remaining, and it is not at all probable that there was a 
sudden change made in width in any part of a continuous 
nave. The cloisters also are adapted to the present nave ; 
they are just what would have been designed for a building 
no larger than the church as it now appears. But again, 
the nave has hardly the proportion, in point of length, that 
a Norman nave of a large building usually had ; and the 
Norman porch occupies the westernmost bay, instead of 
one somewhat removed from the west face. I cannot help 
thinking, that at a period antecedent to the fire, which 
happened in the fifteenth century, say for instance in 
Abbot Frith's time, the nave of the church was reduced to 
its present proportions, and that on the site of the western 
part a church was constructed more suitable for parochial 
purposes ; having slenderer piers, a narrower nave, and larger 
aisles. The Galilee of Durham and St. Joseph's Chapel at 
Glastonbury are fine instances of additions (if indeed the 
latter be an addition and not an earlier building) at the 
west end of a large church. At Oppenheim, in Germany, is 
a western chapel still more nearly approaching (as regards 
its relative size) to the example before us. And at Angers, 
in France, is a large and fine church, having at its west 
end another almost equally large, which however does not 
accurately range with it. They are connected by some 
Romanesque work now in ruins. The length of this church 
or chapel at Sherborne, to judge from that of the wall 
ranging with the north aisle, was about 92 ft., and consisted 
of six bays. 

The whole internal length of the church, from the 
western wall to the door of the Lady Chapel, is 200 ft., 
of which the nave is 86 ft. 8 in., and the choir and 
tower together 88 ft. The width of the nave and aisles 
is 60 ft. 10 in. The measurement of the transepts, from 
north to south, is about 95 ft. The height of the 



190 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 



tower above the ground is about 100 ft. It is not a perfect 
square : its width at the top being from north to south 

32 ft. 3 in., 
from east to 
west 29ft. 4 in. 
The height of 
the vaulting to 
the choir is 
about 54ft. 8in. 
The effect of 
the interior is 
extremely fine, 
owing to its roof 
of fan vault- 
ing, which co- 
vers the whole 
length from 
east to west in 
a line broken 
only by the 
western Nor- 
man tower 
arch. The choir 
aisles and the 
north transept 
have also a fan 
vault, and the 
nave aisles a 
roof approaching to it. The south transept has a wooden 
roof of considerable richness. 

In adverting to these vaults, I may perhaps be allowed 
to repeat what I have said on former occasions upon 
the construction of vaults in general. In cellular vaulting, 
if two equal semicircular vaults, with springs of equal 
height, cut each other at right angles, the diagonal arch 
which marks * their intersection will be the half of an 
ellipse, in a vertical plane inclined to the walls of the 
building in an angle of 45°, and having its axis major, which 
will be horizontal, to its axis minor, which will be vertical, 




Arcade in Tower. 



* It is essential to the beauty of a roof 
that the diagonals should have no double 
curvature, nor lie in a plane inclined to 



the horizon, but be portions of true upright 
arches. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 191 

in the ratio of V 2 : 1 . If any other ellipse is used for 
this diagonal arch, or one whose plane inclines to that 
of the side walls in any other angle than that of 45°, 
either the transverse arch, or that of the cellular vault, or 
both, must be elliptical instead of semicircular ; that is, if 
the springs are of the same height, and the ridges hori- 
zontal. This will be the case when the vaulting cells are 
narrower than the main vault. If the transverse arch is a 
circle, the plane of the diagonal ellipse will be inclined to 
the walls at an angle greater than 45°, and the arch of the 
cell will be half an ellipse whose axis major is vertical, 
or whose curvature increases to the vertex. If the cells 
have a semicircular arch, the transverse arch will be 
half an ellipse, the axis minor of which is vertical, or the 
curvature least, at and near the vertex This, if I re- 
member, is the case at Laach Abbey in Germany ; also in 
the crypts at Gloucester. And if the ridge of the vault 
is not taken exactly at the highest part of the circle, but 
at a distance from it, so as to form a pointed arched vault, 
the ridge of both the main and cellular vaults being kept 
horizontal and at right angles to each other, the rule is 
not altered ; but if the plane of the ellipse, of which a 
part forms the diagonal arch, be inclined in any other 
angle than that of 45° to the walls, the transverse arch, or 
that of the cellular vault, or both, must consist of elliptical 
instead of circular segments ; and suppose this to be the 
narrowest of the two, the ellipse will have its axis major 
vertical, and the curvature will increase towards the vertex 
of the arch, whose form will not be so graceful as one in 
which the curvature diminishes in ascending. The exi- 
gences therefore of unequal vaults, though they may have 
given rise to pointed arches, still demanded many more 
modifications of line and surface. The simple introduction 
of a pointed arch would not of itself have solved the diffi- 
culty. Either elliptical, transverse, or cellular arches, or 
inclination of the ridges, or elevation of the springs, or 
some variation of surface, must have been necessary. In 
some Early English works, I think the elliptical form of the 
cellular arch is very apparent, and not graceful. 

Now this may account for a variety which occurs in 
Decorated or Early Perpendicular work ; what is called the 
Welsh vaulting ; where the cellular vault branches from the 



192 SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 

principal one at a lower point than the vertex of the latter, 
thus leaving a portion of the barrel roof unbroken. By 
this means diagonal arches, or rather portions of them, 
which shall satisfy the conditions of both the form and 
inclination of the ellipse belonging to arches of circular 
lines, will be obtained, and the cellular arch, though smaller 
than the transverse, will be equally made up of pure 
circular arcs. We have this kind of vaulting in the nave 
of Winchester Cathedral, and of Tew T kesbury Church ; in 
each of which none of the numerous ribs and bosses which 
cover a comparatively simple surface will be found to be 
without meaning. 

But a still further advance may be made. Let a point 
be taken in the ridge of the cellular vault, and joined with 
its spring by a portion of an arch ; and the point in the 
ridge of the main vault, directly over that of its junction 
with the cell, (that is, lying in the same vertical plane,) be 
joined in the same way by an arch to its spring, and cut 
away the angle of the original roof between the two, so as to 
form an inclined ridge between the vertex of the principal 
vault and the point taken in the ridge of the cellular one, 
and an oblique face of roof, between the main and the cel- 
lular vaults. This forms a beautiful vault, which occurs (not 
to name other instances) in the transepts of Tew T kesbury 
Church, in Gloucestershire ; and you will observe, it may 
be constructed to satisfy the following conditions : — 

That the ridge of the principal or longitudinal vault shall 
be perfectly horizontal. 

That the transverse arches of both the principal and cel- 
lular vaults shall consist of simple circular segments. 

That all the edges between different surfaces shall lie in 
vertical planes, forming portions of true arches. 

And that ail the surfaces shall be developable, a con- 
dition favourable, though not essential, to the beauty of 
the roof, and I should suppose convenient in its con- 
struction. 

I am not prepared to point out to you any instance in 
which all these conditions are strictly observed. My object 
is to show that the architect w r as enabled to observe them 
if he liked ; and any deviations are not from necessity, but 
from choice, and the freedom, both in design and execution, 
that characterizes all mediaeval work. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 



193 



By the introduction of oblique faces the original diagonal 
arch is cut away, and exists only as an imaginary line. The 
number of oblique faces may be multiplied, even without 
the introduction of any other, by taking a number of points 
both upon the ridge of the cellular vault and of the portion 
of the arch of the main roof, between its ridge and the 
departure of the cell. 




A 


F 


B 






/^^L 


M>^\ 










/ I J> 


X K \ 










/ 


H\ 










/ y/^*^\ \ 


\\ 




c 




FIG. 2. 




D 



1. — A B ridge of main roof. 

A C and B D transverse semi- 
arches. 

E a point in the ridge of the cel- 
lular vault, lower than F the 
point corresponding to it in the 
main ridge. 

G and H oblique surfaces of the 
vault. 



2. — G, H, I, K, oblique surfaces, I and G 
being different from each other; also 
H and K. 

L and M intermediate connecting surfaces, 
not belonging either to the main vault, 
or to the oblique vaulting surfaces, but 
connecting the two. 



But this plan must leave a large portion of the main vault 
unbroken. If we wish to vary this by an oblique face, 
we must introduce another description of surfaces, which 
shall neither correspond with the principal or cellular 
vaults, nor with the oblique vaulting surface, but connect 
the latter with each other and with the former. I shall 
not attempt to enter into an investigation of their various 
forms or inclinations, but merely observe that they will 
mostly be found to be flatter, or less inclined to the 
horizon, than the surfaces of the original simple vault which 
they replace. 

o 



194 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 




Though the oblique surface was probably first intro- 
duced for the purpose of connecting the ridges of two 

vaults une- 
qual in height 
and span, the 
beauty of the 
effect thus 
obtained led 
to its use 
where this 
inequality did 
not exist; and 
it may, per- 
haps, be found 
to have fa- 
cilitated the 
combination 
of vaults of 
different span 
but equal 
height, with- 
out the abandonment of circular lines in the arch. 

The roof of the nave aisles has two oblique faces between 
the surfaces of the principal and cellular vaults ; but the 
intermediate faces, as we may call them, the aiTangement 
of which admits of great variety, are so disposed as to take 
off from it the appearance of fan vaulting ; though in me- 
chanical construction the roof comes as near to it as in the 
choir aisles, where it is most evident. In short, when once 
we obtain the three descriptions of surface, the main and 
cellular surface, the oblique vaulting surface, and the in- 
termediate connecting surface, we arrive by easy transitions 
to the purest fan vaulting, where a perfectly flat ceiling 
appears to be supported by a series of supports, equal in 
size, touching each other at the top, so as to leave flat 
quadrilateral spaces, circular in all their horizontal sections 
and forming two half arches, diverging from each other, in 
every vertical section through the spring. 

Since I have considered the subject of vaulting in the 
point of view in which I have endeavoured to place it before 
you, I have been less inclined than formerly to prefer to 
the English system, complicated as it may appear at first 
sight, the simpler continental system, where the plain cross 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 



195 



vault usually prevails, rarely varied except by the sexpartite 
and the forms of assidal vaulting. 

I trust I shall be excused this long digression on a sub- 
ject which I am not competent to treat with that precision 
which it deserves ; but the Perpendicular, and other excel- 
lent work with which our present place of meeting abounds, * 
affords an opportunity of studying many varieties of roofing, 
and of considering the principles of construction. 

In fan vaulting, as in all other, there must be a trans- 
verse arch and a cellular arch. But where the fans do not 
meet each other 
at the main ridge 
of the building, 
the former is of- 
ten much flat- 
tened. This is 
the case with 
the choir at 
Sherborne. The 
spring of the 
vault is placed 
very high, cor- 
responding near- 
ly with that of 
the clerestory 
windows, which 
gives the interior 
a character of 
great loftiness, 
though the actual height of the roof, as compared with the 
whole width including the aisles, is rather less than usual. 
The transverse arch is therefore extremely flat, and as far 
as t could judge from a careful examination of the exterior, 
under the leads, has no point whatever at the vertex, but 
is continuous and almost without curvature. I fancied the 
curvature to be the greatest at a short distance from the 
spring, but had no means of ascertaining accurately. The 
design of this roof, though extremely beautiful, is too bold 
for safety, and some parts are consequently in a very preca- 
rious condition. But the boldness of the architect did not 
stop at the mere construction of the roof; for he actually 
cut away the eastern Norman arch of the tower, the only 

* Oxford. 




196 SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 

arch of masonry that I could discover being one even 
flatter than the choir roof itself. The voussoirs of this arch 
may be seen in the hollow of the fan just above the spring, 
but I could not see them above the vertex of the roof ; 
indeed an opening into the tower is pierced which almost 
touches it, so that the keystone must lie within the 
thickness of the vault itself. This wall of the tower has 
been apparently rebuilt, as it does not exhibit the arcade, 
and is of rougher masonry than the others, but how it is 
supported is a mystery: it must be more by cohesion of 
materials than by construction. The composition of the 
choir is extremely fine. The clerestory is large and lofty ; 
the windows having six lights and a transom, arranged in 
three orders, and having a peculiar straight-sided arch 
in its tracery, which is common in Somersetshire. The 
east window has nine lights. Externally, are pinnacles, 
bold flying buttresses, and a panelled straight parapet. 
The aisle also has fine pinnacles, and a rich parapet. 
Internally, the piers are of good projection, the vaulting 
shafts rising from the ground. The arches are of great 
width, and their imposts have capitals. Their archivolts, 
as well as the piers themselves, have panelling. I think 
Norman pier arches would not have been so wide, and 
consequently that the present Perpendicular piers are not 
casings of old Norman ones, but original ones designed 
under Abbot Bradford, immediately after the fire. The 
nave is inferior as a composition, having polygonal piers, 
panelled, and without capitals. The vaulting shaft rests on 
a string above the pier arches. The two westernmost pier 
arches are narrower than the others, so as to leave within 
the church an abutment to the range ; but all the clere- 
story windows are equal and regular, and consequently 
the westernmost ones do not correspond with the arches 
below. The nave has no flying buttresses externally. It 
has a fan roof like the choir, but not so flat, having in 
fact a decided point at the ridge. It is on a safer principle 
of construction ; and though it has not the same external 
support as the other, appears to be in better condition. 
The bays are narrower, and the central ridge raised con- 
siderably above the level of the point of the clerestory. 
The windows have five lights, the great west window nine, 
and the aisle windows three. The south transept front 
window has eight ; the aisle windows of the choir, which 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 



197 



are segmental, have four lights. There is not a single 
Tudor-arched door or window in the church, nor an 
embattled parapet, nor a diagonal buttress. The present 
gables are all of a low pitch, though the marks of higher 
ones are indicated on the tower. 

It is remarkable that the abbey seal represents a church 
with two towers. Though it cannot be considered as giving 
a very exact view of the church at any particular period, 
yet it is not likely that so remarkable a characteristic 
should have been given without some cause. It is probable 
that the abbey church, either in the Saxon or Norman 
period, had, besides its central tower, a western one, as 
Winborn Minster in the same county has now, though of 
a later date, and as many foreign Romanesque churches 
have in that style. 

The abbey buildings are worth examination. I have 
annexed a rough plan of them, as far as I could make it 




Gurgoyle in Abbey Buildings. From Abbey Buildings. 

out, to the plan of the church ; for which I am indebted to 
the kindness of Mr. Staples, the gentleman who overlooks 
the restorations. The latter may therefore be considered 
correct : the former, though not equally so, will give a fair 
idea of the position and arrangement, as far as they can be 
ascertained from their existing remains. I am also enabled 
to show some specimens of detail. 



198 SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 

At no great distance from the church is St. John's Hos- 
pital, founded, according to a tablet preserved in the hall, 
on the 10th day of January, in the twenty-sixth year of the 
reign of King Henry VI., 1448, by Robert Nevil, Bishop of 
Sarum, and dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. John 
the Evangelist. It seems to have undergone little if any 
alteration from the time of its erection, and is valuable as a 
dated specimen, and an admirable model for an establish- 
ment of the kind. Tt consists of a building divided in its 
height by a floor, the lower part containing a hall of suffi- 
cient size, to which is attached a chapel. The upper story 
contains the rooms of the women. In the principal apart- 
ment is a fine triptych, probably of the date of the build- 
ing : it represents several of our Saviour's miracles. The 
colours are clear and rich, and the gilt nimbus is introduced. 
The chapel has a fine western arch, over which is a small 
bell-turret. . The south window has some good painted 
glass. The offices are ranged at a right angle from the main 
building. Many of the windows are of a single pointed 
light, without foliation, but under a square head. The 
details are simple, but of good character ; and the general 
appearance of the building is venerable and picturesque. 

East of the church, in the street, is a small hexagonal 
conduit, of late Perpendicular character : it has a good 
groined ceiling. 

The church we have just considered is instructive, as 
showing how the old Norman design has given a tone and 
character not obliterated by successive alterations. The 
architects of the fabric, however they may have deviated 
from the plan or style, never seem to have lost the spirit of 
their predecessors. Compare the choirs of Sherborne and 
Romsey, and you will find more similarity of effect than 
discrepancy in detail and arrangement : one will hardly 
fail to remind you of the other. The low massive tower, 
of which the base is actually Norman, is throughout of 
Norman character and proportion. The nave has I think 
been shortened ; but the choir and transepts are probably 
not very different in length from the original. The simi- 
larity to Romsey in the aisle running round the choir has 
already been noticed. The nave piers look like Norman 
ones crusted over with Perpendicular work, and some an- 
tiquaries have been led to suspect that this is actually the 
case. On examining the masonry, however, I can hardly 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 199 

find sufficient grounds for asserting it to be so. Still we 
find Perpendicular panelling let into one of the Norman 
tower piers. But in going through this church, whatever 
be the surface that meets the eye, we cannot help thinking 
of a Norman composition. 

We are also led to consider the question, Whether, and to 
what extent, the Perpendicular of that date shows the 
characteristics of a declining style ? If it falls off in some 
points, it may possibly advance in others. The panelling 
of the piers, both in the nave and choir, is a superfluous 
ornament, and had better have been dispensed with ; in the 
latter, however, it is hardly sufficient to break the effect of 
the prominent vertical lines. The arrangement above the 
pier arch is simple and grand. It is a large and fine win- 
dow, of which the principal lights are divided by transoms 
into three stages, the lower one being left blank, and an- 
swering to the triforium of earlier buildings. The minute 
subdivisions of tracery in the heads of the windows have not 
the same grandeur as the bolder treatment exhibited in the 
nave and aisles of Winchester Cathedral, but the latter 
would not perhaps have harmonized so well with the fan 
vaulting above. 

This vaulting is, I think, an advance upon the earlier 
styles, in consequence of the height at which it allows the 
spring to be placed, and the flatness which the transverse 
arch admits of without any unpleasing effect. I have be- 
fore observed that the apparent height of a building de- 
pends more upon the height of the springs than of the 
crown of a vault, and the present building illustrates the 
truth of the position. We cannot but admire the boldness 
of the architect who planned a lofty fan vaulting, extending 
from east to west, unbroken by the supports of the central 
tower, though whether the successful removal of one of 
them be a proof of skill rather than of good fortune I am 
not prepared to say ; nor can I regret that he, or his suc- 
cessor, did not venture to remove the other. The vaulting 
of the nave, which is later than the choir, is equally good 
in effect, and of better construction, more compact in itself, 
and resting more vertically on the walls, which bear it 
without the aid of flying buttresses. The upper part of the 
central tower combines strength and lightness. It rests 
upon a deep splay, which projects sufficiently to receive 
buttresses, both near the angles and in the middle ; these 



200 SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 

preserve the air of massiveness, which is increased by the 
wide external splays of the belfry windows, the mullions 
and tracery being on a level with the inner face of the wall. 
The horizontal parapet and very small pinnacles would be 
ill exchanged for any other finish, which I hope will not be 
attempted in the course of restoration. The clerestory of 
the nave is not so good as that of the choir, and its external 
mouldings show a tendency to debasement. Nor is a five- 
light window, having two orders of principal mullions, ever 
so good a composition, whatever may be the style, as one 
of four, six, eight, or nine lights. This appears more 
strongly from the new stone with which the nave windows 
have been restored, giving an apparent heaviness to the 
larger mullions, which the colour of the old dark stone 
tended to relieve. The interior of the nave is cleaned, and 
the colour of the stone being good the effect is much 
improved. 

I sincerely wish the present restoration of this fine 
church may be so carried on as to preserve its genuine 
character. Any attempt at a restoration of earlier fea- 
tures now obliterated would be injudicious ; the value of 
early specimens in most cases consists rather in their 
genuineness than in their actual beauty. They were a 
record of old times, times of great interest to the architec- 
tural student ; which conjectural restorations are not. In 
old works, we recognise the efforts of a healthy and vigorous 
infancy, often rude or defective, but each showing an ad- 
vance to maturity. In modern imitations, we recognise 
nothing but a feeble attempt at bad mannerism. Let us 
study the perfections of every style, and if we imitate at 
all, aim at those of the most perfect ; but let us be content 
to leave our Norman remains as we find them, or if it be 
necessary to rebuild, let us use the very stones themselves, 
where it is possible, and where it is not, let us copy them 
as faithfully as we can. Let us take them with all the ad- 
ditions and incumbrances which mediaeval architects have 
heaped upon them, for these are so many historical records. 
The old porch of Sherborne, Norman below and Perpen- 
dicular above, was far more valuable, and to the eye of the 
artist perhaps more beautiful, than a restoration of the 
same porch, Normanised to the very point of the gable, 
according to the fancy or the researches of the best modern 
architects. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 




Clerestory Window and Roof of South Aisle of Choir from Tower, 
looking East. 



p2 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE, 




Paet of Domestic Building, looking South. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE, 




Cbypt in Domestic Building. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 




Bay of Choib. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 



i . - 1 1 ! 




SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 




I I 1 I I 1 ! M I i 



Bay of Nave. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 




Conduit, East End op the Chttecii. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 




Q 2 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 




Miss Petit. 

View eeom Sot-th Transept looking into Nate. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 




Doorway to Domestic Btjildino. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 




Chapel : Xoeth Side of Choie. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 





PJJ.DEL/IMOTTE- 



Sorra Aisle op Choik. 



SHERBORNE, DORSETSHIRE. 




View from South Side of Choir, 
looking ixto Xoeth Transept. 



R 2 



SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS IN BRISTOL AND 
WELLS CATHEDRALS, THE CHURCHES OF 
YATTON AND BITTON; 

WITH NOTICES OF THE TOMB OF JUDGE CRADOCK, THE FAMILIES 
OF XEWTON AXD DE BITTOX. 



In a chapel at the end of the south aisle of Bristol Cathe- 
dral are several monuments of the family of Cradock, or 
Newton, of Barre's Court, in the parish of Bitton, about 
three miles from Bristol. One of these is without the 
original inscription, but once showed the matrices of two 
brass effigies, kneeling, with labels and arms. Barrett, 
in his History of Bristol (p. 305), says that the spaces 
occupied by the brasses were filled up and made smooth 
when the monument was repaired, on which is now seen 
the following inscription : — " In memory of Sir Richard 
Newton Cradock, of Barrs Court, in the county of Glou- 
cester, one of his Majesties Justices of the Common Pleas, 
who died December the 13th, 1444, and with his Lady lies 
interr'd beneath this monument, which was defaced by the 
Civil Wars, and repaired by Mrs. Archer, sister to the late 
Sir Michael Newton, of Barrs Court, 1748." 

The design of this monument is certainly much later 
than 1444 (see cut, next page). It shows the same taste as 
that which designed Chaucer's monument, set up, I believe, 
in 1555 ; a tomb in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and one at 
Ringwood, figured in the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. lxxvii. 
pt. 2, p. 1001. It may have been to the memory of a 
Cradock, but the notion that the Judge was buried there 
must have arisen from some misapprehension, and it is 
not true that he died in 1444 ; I am informed by Mr. 
Edward Foss, that the last fine levied before him was 
" in Octab. Mart. 27 Hen. VI.," or November, 1448. 

I will presently endeavour to prove, beyond a doubt, that 
Judge Cradock and his lady rest in Yatton Church, Somerset, 



238 



CERTAIN MONUMENTS IN THE COUNTIES 



but I would first wish to notice another error about a 
Newton Tomb in St. Peter's Church, Bristol, where there 
is a magnificent specimen of the monumental art of the 
1 6th century, raised to the memory of some widow lady, 
but without any inscription. A modern tablet ascribes it 
to a maiden lady of the family of Newton, of Barre's Court, 
and states that this also was repaired by Mrs. Archer. On 
one of the shields on this tomb are sixteen quarterings 
as assigned to Cradock Newton, and on another shield are 
quartered the arms of Clarke, of Somerset ; viz. 1 and 4, 
two bars with three escallops in chief; 2 and 3, 3 arrows 




Tomb, attributed to Judge Cradoce:, Bristol Cathedral. 

in pale. The same arms may be seen in Wookey Church, 
near Wells, on an altar tomb of "Thomas Clarke and 
Anthony his wyfe," who died circa 1555. In a Newton 
pedigree in the Visitation of 1 623 it is laid down that John 
Newton of Harptree (a younger brother of Sir Henry 
Newton, who died 1599, and whose monument is in 
Bristol Cathedral) married Antholin, daughter and heir of 
Henry Clarke, of Wells. The probability, therefore, is that 



OF GLOUCESTER AND SOMERSET. 239 

this monument in St. Peter's Church is to the memory of 
the said Antholin Clarke, ividow, some time wife of the said 
John Newton, brother to Sir Henry Newton, who died 1599. 
One of the monuments in the Newton Chapel in the 
Cathedral is to the memory of this Sir Henry, which I 
would here introduce for the purpose of putting on record 
the various quarterings which adorn his tomb ; this, as I 
believe, has never yet been done. On the Newton coat are 
the arms granted to Sir Henry's father — Sir John Newton, 
of Richmond Castle, in East Harptree, county Somerset, in 
1 567. The grant is in the Ashmolean MS. dcccxxxiv. f. 34, 
and runs thus : — 

" To all and singular as well nobles and gentills as others 
to whom these presents shall come, we, Sir Gilbert De- 
thicke, knight, alias Garter, principall kinge of armes for 
the Order of the Garter, Rob'te Cooke, alias Clarenciault 
kinge of armes of the south, William Flower, alias Norroy 
kinge of armes of the northe, and all others the hereauldes 
of armes send humble commendacion and gretinge : that 
whereas we being required by Sir John Newton, of Rich- 
mond Castill, in the countie of Somersett, knyght, to make 
serche for the antient armes descendinge to him from his 
ancetors [sic], at whose requeste we, the said kinges and 
hereauldes of armes, have not only made diligent serche in 
our regestyrs, but also there withall perused diverse of his 
ancient evidence and other monumentes, whereuppon we 
doe fynd that the said Sir John Newton, knyght, maye 
beare twelve severall cotes, that is to say, the armes of 
Rob'te Cradocke, alias Newton, the armes of Rob'te Sher- 
borne, the armes of Steven Angle, the armes of Steven 
Pirot, the armes of John Harvie, the armes of Sir John 
Sheder, knight, the armes of Richard Hampton, the armes 
of Sir John Bitton, knyght, the armes of Sir Matthewe 
Furneaulx, knyght, the armes of Walter Cawdecot, the 
armes of Sir Annsell Corney, knyght, and the armes of 
Sir Henry Harterie, knyght. All which armes doth plainlie 
appere depicted in the Margent ; and for that the said Sir 
John Newton is uncertaine of any creaste wich he ought 
to beare by his owne proper name, he therefore hath also 
required vs, the said kings and hereauldes of armes, to 
assigne and confirme vnto him and his posteritie for ever, 



240 CERTAIN MONUMENTS IN THE COUNTIES 

the creaste of Sir Anncell Corney, knyght, which Sir 
Anncell Corney, as it doth appere by divers ancient evi- 
dence and other monuments of the said Sir John Newton, 
w T as at the winnynge of Acorn with Kinge Richard the 
First, where he toke prisoner a kinge of the Mores : and 
further, the said Sir John Newton, knyght, hath made 
goode proofe for the bearinge of the same creaste, that the 
heires male of the said Sir Anncell Corney is extingueshed, 
and the heires generall do only remaine in him. In con- 
sideration whereof wee, the said kinges and herehauldes of 
armes, do give, confirme, and grant vnto the said Sir John 
Newton and his posteritie for ever, the said creaste of 
Sir Anncell Corney, knyght, that is to say, vppon his helme 
on a torce silver and asure, a kinge of the Mores armed in 
male, crowned gold, knelinge vpon his lefte knee rendering 
vppe his sworde, as more plainly aperith depicted in this 
Margent, to have and to howld the said creast to him and 
his posteretie, with there due difference to vse, beare, and 
show T in shelde, cote armour, or otherwise, for ever, at his 
or their libertie and pleasure, without impediment, let, or 
interruption of any parson or parsons. In witnesse whereof 
we, the said kinges and hereauldes of armes, have caused 
these letters to be made patentes, and set here vnto our 
com on seale of corporation : given at the office of armes in 
London, the twelvethe of December, and in the tenthe yeare 
of the reigne of our sovereigne ladie Elizabeth, by the grace 
of God Quene of England, France, and Ireland, defender 
of the faithe," &c. 



1. 


Cradock or Newton. 


2. 


Sherborne. 


3. 


Angle. 


4. 


Pirot. 


5. 


Harvie. 


6. 


Sheder et Shedder. 


7. 


Hampton. 


8. 


Bitton. 


9. 


Furneaulx. 


10. 


Caudecot. 


11. 


Corney ali. Gurney. 


12. 


Harterie ali. Harpetrc. 



These are impaled with the arms of his wife, Catherine, 



OF GLOUCESTER AND SOMERSET. 241 

daughter of Sir Thomas Paston, of Norfolk. — In the 
Visitation of that County in 1563, Harl. MS., 1552, fol. 
178 b., they are assigned thus : — 

1. Paston. 

2. Peeche. 

3. Leeche. 

4. Comerton. 

5. Walcote. 

6. Berry. 

7. Heingrave. 

8. Watsam. 

9. Hetherset. 

10. Gerbridg. 

1 1 . Peeber. 

12. Maultbey. 

The whole surmounted by a crest, the curious history of 
which is recorded in the above Grant of Arms to Newton : 
a Moorish king, kneeling, and rendering up his sword. 

But to return to Judge Cradock : — 

In the Wyke Aisle, Yatton, is a very handsome alabaster 
altar tomb, on the sides of which there are figures of angels 
holding shields of arms, mutilated, which Collinson, in his 
History of Somerset, vol. hi. p. 619, says, bore arms 
of Newton and Shirburn, impaled with Perrott. On the 
top of the tomb are the effigies of an aged judge and his 
lady. This tomb is by tradition ascribed to Judge 
Cradock ; the female figure is supposed to represent Emma 
de Wyke ; the inscription is gone. There can be no doubt, 
from the costume, that the male effigy is that of a judge 
(a collar of Esses may be seen under his robes) . That it is 
a Cradock, is confirmed by the garb or wheat sheaf, on 
which his head is laid. (The arms of Cradock are Arg. 
on a Chevron Az. 3 Garbs Or.) Besides, in the inte- 
resting accounts of the Churchwardens of Yatton, Anno 
1450-1, among the receipts there is this entry : — " It : re- 
cipimus de D'no de Wyke per manu' J. Newton filii sui de 
legato Dn'i Rici. Newton, ad p' Campana xxs." 

That this date is nearer the time of his death than 1444, 
as stated on the monument in the Cathedral, is confirmed 



242 CERTAIN MONUMENTS IN THE COUNTIES 

by the fact of the fine levied in 1448. In the best authen- 
ticated pedigrees of the family, it is laid down, that Richard 
Cradock married Emma, daughter of John Harvy, of 
London, whose arms, billety, a lion rampant, form one of 
the quarterings on the Newton coat. But Emma Harvy is 
not Emma de Wyke, still she might also have been his 
wife. There is no inquisition on the death of the Judge, but 
there is on the death of Emmota Newton, widow, 1 6 Edw. 
IV. She died 1475, holding manors in and about Yatton. 
I conclude, therefore, that Judge Cradock's tomb is in 
Yatton Church, and that the tomb in Bristol Cathedral 
is not his. I have not been able to assign that tomb to 
any other of the family, unless it be to Richard Newton, 
a grandson of the Judge; the time of whose death, 1500, 
would accord w r ell with the design of the monument ; and 
it is not known where he was buried. If my view be 
correct, the circumstance of his being called Richard, 
after his grandfather, might have led to the mistake. 

The mention of B aire's Court, in this paper, seems to 
open an opportunity for giving a correct account of the 
manner in which the Newtons became possessed of that 
extensive property. One historian, copying from another, 
without reference to other authorities, often perpetuates 
error upon error. Such is particularly the case with this 
family, all originating with Atkyns in his Gloucester- 
shire. 

It has been laid down, without any proof, that Margaret, 
a daughter of Blount, who was lord of the manor of Bitton, 
married Sir John Barre, who left a daughter Joan, who 
married a Newton. Even Sir Alexander Croke, in his 
Genealogy, p. 343, has depended upon Atkyns' statement. 
All this may now be corrected, by reference to records 
which have probably been discovered since Atkyns' time. 

It can be shown, that no such marriage ever took place 
— that Sir John Barre left no daughter by his wife, through 
whom he acquired that property. Upon the death of Lady 
Barre, without issue, in 1485, it was found by the inquest 
at her death, that her next heirs were Bassett, Hampton, 
and Strode, descendants of the co-heiresses of Sir John de 
Bitton by Harriet Furneaux. It was so far true that 
Newton (Sir Thomas) married an heir of Lady Barre, but 
not a daughter, viz. Lucy Hampton, — and in that way 



OF GLOUCESTER AND SOMERSET. 243 

Cradock or Newton of Richmond acquired Barre's Court 
Estates. 

Sir Thomas Newton, the second son of Sir John, the son 
of the Judge, or to quote the words of Leland (vol. vii. f. 
68 b.), a younger brother of Newton, inhabiting at Wyke, 
" maryed one of the dowghtars and heyres of Hampton, and 
wyfe afore to one of the Chokks, that dyed without ysswe 
by hym. This was the yonggest dowghtar of the three, 
that Hampton lefte, and yet she being maried onto Newton, 
fathar to Ser John Newton (Leland's host at Barre's Court, 
from whom he learned all this), fortunyd to have all the 
thre partes." 

In the inquisition on the death of Lady Barre, 1485, her 
heirs were found to be, — 

Robert Bassett, aged 50. 
William Strode, aged 40. 
Lucy Chokke, aged 15 and more. 
Johanna Chokke, aged 14 and more. 
Elizabeth Chokke, aged 16 and more. 

Lucy was the wife of Thomas Chokke, jun. ; Johanna, 
of Thomas Chokke, sen.; Elizabeth, of John Chokke, jun. 

Aske, in Coll. Top. vol. i. p. 243, mentions Lucy, Jane, 
and Elizabeth, daughters of John Hampton, as " heyres to 
my Lady Barre," calling them by their maiden name. 

It may be as well to state here, that in the inquisition 
on the death of Sir John Barre, taken 22 Edw. IV., his 
daughter, and next heir, is found to be Isabella, Countess 
of Devon, late wife of Humphry Stafford, Earl of Devon, 
and Lord of South wyke, and then the wife of Sir Thomas 
Bourgcheir, knight, son of Henry, Earl of Essex. 

It is therefore quite clear that Newton's wife was not a 
daughter, as it has been erroneously stated, either of Sir 
John Barre or Lady Barre, though it is correct she was an 
heir of Lady Barre ; and in that way, on the partition of 
her estates, he acquired Barre's Court, and all its demesnes. 
One of the other heirs of Barre, viz. Bassett, got Highfield 
and Upton Chaun in Bitton, and resided there till he left 
it for Claverton, about 1607. Her Dorset and Somerset 
estates went to Strode. 

Of Barre's Court, little now remains but dilapidated 



244 CERTAIN MONUMENTS IN THE COUNTIES 

buildings. Even its ancient name of Hannam is lost, 
having given way to that of Oldland, into which, from 
population, and other circumstances, it has been merged ; 
and also perhaps to avoid confusion with West Hanham or 
Hanham Abbots which abuts on it. 

Hanham and Upton Chaun were both manors held of 
the lord of the manor of Bitton. 

The site of a drawbridge and a moat are visible ; and 
over the door of the present farm-house, the Newton arms 
beautifully wrought in stone, encircled by an elaborate 
wreath, though much mutilated, still remain. 

In Leland's time (circa 1540, Itin. vol. vii. p. 37) it was 
" a fayre olde mannar place of stone" — "From Biton vil- 
lage 2 miles " — " onto Bristow 3 myles by hilly and stony 
ground, with feren ovar growne in dyvers places " — " At 
this Hanham dwellythe one Ser John Newton" — "The 
forest of Kyngs wodd cummythe just onto Barres courte, 
Mastar Newton's howse." 

Here the Cradock Newtons resided, and were buried in 
Bristol Cathedral ; but when, upon the death of Sir John 
Newton, Bart., in 1661, the last of that branch, the estates 
passed by will to Sir John Newton of Lincolnshire (Cross 
Bones Newtons, quite a distinct family), on whom the baro- 
netcy was entailed, the house soon fell into decay; and 
about 1770 (?) it was taken down by Sir Michael Newton, 
then the owner. Since which time the offices have been 
occupied as a farm-house. 

From aged persons living close by, I have gathered the 
following : — That the house was enclosed by a high wall, 
and a brick wall (parts of which remain) all round the 
park. There were niches round the outside of the house, 
filled with colossal leaden statues. A large and lofty en- 
trance-hall, richly carved and gilt, particularly the fire- 
place, the shelf of which was supported by two large 
figures of wood : it was paved with black and white marble 
squares ; there was a music-gallery at the end. There was 
a chapel, handsomely adorned. The house was square, in 
the style of Siston Court, with square stone mullioned 
windows, with Gothic heads and labels. The porter's lodge 
had a large gateway and a small one, and images about it, 
and texts of Scripture in panels of stone, one of which I 
recovered, and set it up in the aisle at Bitton. It runs 



OF GLOUCESTER AND SOMERSET. 245 

thus, and is from an edition of the Bible, 1602 : — " Honour 
thy father and mother, that thy days may be prolonged in 
the land the which the Lord thy God giveth thee." The 
vane was a figure representing the Newtons' crest, which is 
still preserved, viz. a king on his knee, &c. 

Here it was that the family of De Bitton, or Button (or 
Bucton, as the double t in old records is written), resided, 
as two deeds dated from Hanham testify : one, 4 Rich. II., 
in Lansdown MS. 203, fol. 58, executed by John Button 
and Joan his wife; another, 23 Edw. III., Harl. MS. 1443, 
fol. 41, executed by Matthew de Bitton, son and heir of 
Lord John de Bitton. Both these have seals — Erm. a fesse 
—in the deed of t. Rich. II., it is impaled, but too far de- 
faced to be made out. 

There can be no doubt that the place took its compara- 
tively modern name from Sir John Barre of Rotherwas, 
county of Hereford, who by marriage became its possessor. 
Perhaps Newton gave it that name when he inherited 
the property on Lady Barre's death, or when he set up the 
arms, with all the glory of blazon, which were granted to 
him in 1567, with which date the description of the house 
accords. Lady Barre was the relict of Robert Greyndon, 
or Greydour, Esq., in whose time it was called Hannam, 
as appears by an Extent of the manor made for him in the 
10th of Hen. VI., — a most minute survey of all the lands, 
names of the tenants, &c. This valuable document, beau- 
tifully drawn on a roll 25 feet long, is now deposited in the 
British Museum, No. 7361 of Additional MSS. It was 
purchased at Lady Harley's sale in 1850, a descendant of 
the last Newtons. 

Lady Barre was sole daughter and heir of Thomas Rougg, 
or Rigge, Esq., of Charlcombe, county of Somerset (where 
she was baptized), by Catharine, the last heiress of that 
branch of De Bittons. She died in 1485, and was buried 
with her first husband at Newland, county of Gloucester, in 
a chantry chapel founded by herself just after his death. This 
appears by her will, proved in the Prerogative Court of Can- 
terbury, 23rd July, 1485. Among her numerous bequests is 
one " to the altar of St. Catharine, at Bytton, in the parish 
chirch ther, for myn ancesters be buried in that chapell." 

This chapel, of which I have more to say, is still appur- 
tenant to Barre's Court. 



246 CERTAIN MONUMENTS IN THE COUNTIES 

And with regard to her " ancesters," I would refer to a 
very long and interesting assise roll of novel disseisin, which 
I found at Carlton Ride, 19 and 20 Rich. II., M. 2. 1 9. 2,— a 
most valuable document in a genealogical point of view, as 
several descents are laid down in pedigree. In this trial, the 
father and mother of Lady Barre, viz. Thomas Rigge and 
Catharine his wife, were plaintiffs, against Sir John Devereux 
and Joan his wife (relict of John de Bitton) , touching cer- 
tain lands in Bitton Hanham, &c, wherein it is laid down 
that the said Catherine was the heir of John de Bitton, by 
Margaret sister of Cecily, the wife of Sir Nicholas Berkley. 
Aske, in his Collection, before quoted, says that this Sir 
John Bitton died in Portugal ; that he married Joanna 
Hurst, and in the Assise Roll it is stated that she afterwards 
married Sir John Devereux ; which Sir John Bitton was son 
and heir of Matthew de Bitton, whose deed, dated at Han- 
nam, 23 Edw. III., I have before mentioned. 

There is a curious circumstance in the life of this man, 
which I wish to mention. 

Upon an inquisition, in 48 Edw. III., to inquire who 
were the destroyers of game in the Chace of Kingswood, 
he is found to be, with others, " communis malefactor de 
venacione Dom. Regis." Upon his being taken, he ac- 
knowledges his transgressions, and throws himself on the 
king's mercy — " et committitur prisone Dom. Regis in 
custodia vicecomitis quousque justiciarii de ipso habeant 
locutionem cum consilio Dom. R." This record is among 
certain forest proceedings at the Chapter House, West- 
minster. 

What became of him afterwards I cannot discover, — 
whether he was tried, or died in prison, or was executed. 
Though his name appears in the court-roll of Bitton in that 
reign, in the next year John de Bitton, his son, appears at 
the court. It was on Friday in the third week of Lent that 
he was committed, which in that year (1374) would be the 
3rd of March ; and on the Fine Roll of the same year there 
appears the writ of his "Diem Clausit Externum," which 
is dated April 10. In the ordinance of the chantry at New- 
land, founded by Joan Greyndon, on the death of her 
husband (Pat. 24 Hen. VI. p. 2, M. 17), in which prayers 
were to be offered for the good estate of her relations, she 
altogether omits the name of this Matthew, who was her 



OF GLOUCESTER AND SOMERSET. 247 

grandfather, though she mentions the generations above and 
below him. 

It has been supposed that for his transgressions, the 
killing of thirty-seven head of deer, he might have been 
excommunicated, and that if he died under that sentence 
he would not be entitled to the prayers to be offered in 
the said chantry. 

It will be recollected that Leland said that Kingswood 
Forest was close to Barre's Court. 

In the deed quoted above he calls himself the son and 
heir of John de Button, and in the Assise Roll he is styled 
the son and heir of John (the son of John) and Hawise. 
Also in a Fine (Hil. 18 Edw. III.), John (son of John) and 
Hawise, occur; which John was the heir of an elder brother, 
Thomas, who died without issue. 

This is that John, the son of John, who (see Rot. Orig. 
1 Edw. II., rot. 9) did homage " ut nepos et haeres Thomee 
de Bitton Episcopi Exon : avunculi sui," and whose wife 
Hawise was the second daughter and co-heir of Matthew 
Furneaux, by whom, besides his son Matthew, he had 
three daughters, viz. Maud, who first married William de 
la More, and secondly, Simon Bassett; Elizabeth, married to 
Phil. Hampton ; Beatrix, married to George Strode, whose 
descendants were co-heirs on the death of Lady Barre. In 
18 Edw. II., by fine he acquired lands in Bitton, Han- 
ham, &c. 

It is to be regretted that no inquisitions post mortem 
have been found of any of the family, excepting this 
Thomas de Bitton just mentioned, who was Bishop of 
Exeter* from 1293 to 1307, having before been Dean of 

* I am indebted to the Rev. Dr. Oliver, wall, for the maintenance of his Obit, 

of Exeter, for the following biographical The original instrument, dated Exeter, 

sketch of this Thomas de Button, or 15th October, 1297, with his beautiful seal 

Bitton, Bishop of Exeter: " Of a worship- attached, is carefully preserved in the Ex- 

ful family, was promoted from the Deanery chequer Room of the Cathedral, with King 

of Wells to the See of Exeter, in November Edward the First's license, dated 10th of 

1292 (Prynne's Records, vol. iii. 474) ; April following. 

and the temporalities were restored to him " The Bishop, in 1292, appropriated to 
on 2nd December ensuing. Unfortu- St. John Baptist's Hospital in Wells, the 
nately, his register has long since perished, Church of West Down, in Devonshire. 
but in that of his successor Walter Staple- Two year? later he obtained a market for 
ton, fol. 28, is preserved the interesting Paignton, as also for Newport, near Barn- 
report of his visitation of Bosham Colle- staple. 

giate Church, Sussex, on 28th July, 1294: "A curious document is extant in the 

and again in fol. 175, his appropriation to Episcopal Archives at Exeter, viz. a 

the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, of the grant of forty days' indulgence, by three 

Church of St. Uvelus, or Evall, in Corn- archbishops and five bishops, dated Ro.ne, 



248 



CERTAIN MONUMENTS IN THE COUNTIES 



Wells from 1284 to 1293, during which time, viz. in 1287, 
it appears, by a Plea Roll, 1 5 Edw. I. m. 3, that his cow 
and two bullocks were seized by De la More, a lord of one of 
the manors in Bitton ; and by another Plea Roll, 12 Edw. I. 
Mic. (52), he recovered a right of estover in Bitton on the 
death " cujusdam mulieris," — his mother, who had a life 
interest in it, as it had always been enjoyed by William de 
Bitton, his uncle, whose heir he was : so that there can be 
no doubt that he also had his residence at Hannam. In 
1299 he obtained license from the Bishop of Worcester to 
build and endow the chantry chapel of St. Catherine, ad- 
joining the mother church of Bitton, over the bodies of 
his father and mother there buried ; the same, no doubt, 
that is mentioned by Lady Barre in her will, and is still 
appurtenant to Barre 's Court. 



A. D. 1300, in favour of all true penitents, 
who should avail themselves of the bishop's 
spiritual ministry, or offer up prayers for 
his prosperity whilst living, or for the 
repose of his soul after his death, and for 
the departed souls of his parents, brothers, 
and sisters. Three only of the eight seals 
originally attached to the instrument are 
in fair preservation, viz. of Basil, Arch- 
bishop of Jerusalem; of Ademelphus, 
Archbishop of Cosenza ; and of Manfrid, 
Bishop of St. Mark's, Venice. 

" In nearly the beginning of the earliest 
Register, at Exeter, Bishop Bronscombe's, 
is found Bishop Bitton' s purchase-deed, 
bearing date Sunday before St. Lawrence, 
1302, of Kelly, in St. Alun's parish, Corn- 
wall, from William de Rostourek, for ten 
pounds of silver. In the Monasticon of 
the Exeter diocese are printed, p. 445, his 
Lordship's excellent regulations for the 
Collegiate Church of Crediton. To the 
Abbey of Tavistock he appropriated, on 
26th August, 1304, the Church of Barring- 
ton. On 31st December 1305, he as- 
signed Walkhampton Church to the Abbot 
and Convent of Buckland. The Fabric 
Rolls of his Cathedral abundantly testify 
to the encouragement he gave to the pro- 
secution of its building. 

" The Bishop was unable to attend the 
Parliament summoned to meet at Carlisle, 
within the Octave of St. Hilary, (January) 
1307, to treat ' super ordinatione et 
stabilitate terrae Scotiae.' According to 
the Chronicon of Exeter Church, he died 
17th September, that year (Hooker says 
21st of September); but we prefer the 
Cathedral Calendar or Martyrologium, the 



25th of September 1307. He was buried 
just before the lowest step of the high 
altar. According to Leland (Itin. vol. iii. 
p. 57) his grave-stone was inscribed : 

"THO. BYTTEN, EPUS. EXON. 

"From a deed of 17th July, 1310, 1 learn 
that his executors were enabled from his 
means, to erect the new Chapel of St. 
Gabriel, in the Priest's Hospital^ at Clist. 

"That he was a general favourite amongst 
his episcopal brethren, of the Province 
of Canterbury, is manifest from the en- 
couragement they gave to the faithful of 
their respective dioceses, ' ad orandum 
pro anima bonae memorise Thomae, quon- 
dam Exoniensis episcopi.' 

"Godwin commemorates the tastefully 
decorated brass on his grave ; but that has 
long since disappeared. In taking up the 
floor of the choir, in August, 1763, the 
large slab was removed, covering his very 
shallosv walled tomb, in which lay a leaden 
coffin six feet long ; the skeleton was nearly 
entire. On the right side stood a small 
chalice, covered with a paten ; a piece of 
silk or linen was wound round the stem ; 
amongst the dust was discovered a fair 
gold ring with a large sapphire set in it, 
and some fragments of a wooden crosier. 
The remains were respectfully covered ; 
but the ring and chalice are preserved 
within a case in the Chapter House. In 
the inventory of the Cathedral Plite, A. D. 
1327, Bishop Bitton is recorded as the 
donor of two silver candlesticks, weight 3?. 
and Sd., and of a silver holy water vase, 
with two sprinklers, weighing 101s.*' 




Effigy, partly incised, the head in relief, discovered in Bitton Church, 
Gloucestershire, in 1826. 

SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT ROBERT DE BITTON. 



OF GLOUCESTER AXD SOMERSET. 251 

I annex a copy of the ordinance of this chantry from the 
episcopal archives at Worcester, and a cut of the bishop's 
seal from the archives at Exeter, and a copy of the docu- 
ment to which that is appended. For these I am indebted 
to the obliging courtesy of the gentlemen who have the 
custody of these documents. (See p. 257, infra.) 

In 1822 a stone coffin was discovered at the foot of the 
altar-steps of this chantry at Bitton Church. Views of 
the beautiful sedilia, with richly crocketed canopies, in this 
chantry chapel, have appeared in Collings' " Details of 
Gothic Architecture. " The remains had evidently been dis- 
turbed, and all I found was a rowel- spur. It was probably 
the coffin of the bishop's father. It is now preserved near 
the chantry. 

It has been shown above, that John, the bishop's nephew, 
was the son of John ; and, by a pedigree quoted in the 
Archseologia, vol. xxxi. p. 271, he is proved to be the son 
of Adam de Bitton ; and from that fact, and the chantry 
ordinance, it was with good reason concluded, that the 
incised slab, which is the subject of a paper in that volume 
of the Archseologia, represented Sir Walter de Bitton. (I 
annex a correct woodcut of the slab in this place.) That 
conclusion, not hastily made, but incorrect from want of 
further evidence, I have reason now to think was altogether 
a mistake ; and I wish to take this opportunity of correcting 
it, as, from further researches made since the publication 
of that paper, I think I am able to do. 

The costume of this figure was indeed considered to be of 
an earlier date than the probable time of the decease of the 
bishop's father ; though it was just possible, by an uncom- 
mon occurrence, that he might have died in 1228, the date 
laid down in a pedigree drawn by Ralfe Brooke, that the 
said Walter died. 

But supposing such a person as Walter de Bitton ever 
existed (of which no other proof than this pedigree has yet 
been found), there certainly seemed to be a generation 
omitted. And so it now turns out; for by certain fines 
which I have discovered, and other records, the name of 
Robert, the son of Robert de Bitton, occurs, and that of 
Adam, the son of Robert. 

It was also supposed that the chantry of St. Catherine 
was destroved — that it was on the south side of the church, 

s 2 



252 CERTAIN MONUMENTS IN THE COUNTIES 

on the site where this incised slab was discovered in 1826, 
with other remains and foundations of buildings. But now 
the question seems to be cleared up by the discovery of a 
pedigree in Harl. MS. No. 1543, fol. 186, the early entries 
in which are confirmed by the fines, &c, I have just named. 
And it is somewhat remarkable that no document has yet 
been found in which the name of Walter de Bitton, who 
stands at the head of Ralfe Brooke's pedigree, occurs, and 
who is said to have died in 1228. 

But to proceed with the newly-discovered pedigree, 

" Summa sequar fastigia rerum." 

Adam D'Ameneville, who obtained the manor of Bitton 
bv grant from Henry II., — service one knight's fee, — ap- 
pears by this pedigree to have had two sons called Robert. 
The one is entered as Robert D'Ameneville, the other 
Robert de Button. The first, to whom Henry III., by 
charter (11 Hen. III. Pt. 1, No. 143, Tower Records), con- 
firmed the manor, had two daughters, each called Petro- 
nilla. "The manor of Bitton was divided between these 
two Petronils," is written on the pedigree. The one married 
William Putot, the other Nicolas Oxehaye, by whom the 
knight's fee was divided ; for it appears in Testa de Neville 
that each of these paid half a knight's fee for service in 
Bitton, for lands of Robert D'Ameneville. 

After that time the two moieties went by the names of 
" Medietas Manerii de Bitton," and " Medietas Manerii de 
Bitton, vocata Oldelande" The former descended to the 
heirs of William de Putot, who, apparently, was no mean 
person, having been appointed (Pat. 5 H. III.) Custos of 
the Mint and Stannaries of Cornwall, Sheriff of Gloucester 
six years (Pat. 18 H. III.), Custos of the Coast of the Sea of 
Bristol, and who, on account of his services in Gascony, 1225 
(Close Roll) , induced Henry III. to excuse his father-in-law's 
scutage money, and grant other indulgences : his daughter 
married Hugh de Vivon, second son of Hugh de Vivon, 
Steward of Poictou. It is worthy of record that I have 
found in Bitton churchyard fragments of two glazed tiles 
bearing the arms of De Vivon, in chief a label of five 
points. Upon the death of De Vivon, who was slain in 
Wales a.d. 1257, his widow married David le Blund, whose 
son David, by her, she enfeoffed with her Bitton estate, cut- 



OF GLOUCESTER AND SOMERSET. 253 

ting off her only son, John de Vivon, by her first husband ; 
about which there was an assise at Gloucester (15Edw. I.), 
in which it is recorded, that when on a visit to her son 
David le Blund at the nianeriuni of Bitton, she was taken 
ill ; and, that it might not be said that she had never left 
her residence after she had given it to her son David and 
his wife Amabilla, she most wittingly caused herself to be 
carried to the vicarage-house close by, and there she died 
in 1267. 

There was a regular descent of this moiety of the manor 
in the Blount family down to Margaret, sole daughter and 
heir of Sir Simon Blount, who married Lord John Hussey 
of Lincolnshire, who, with his son Sir William Hussey, in 
1515, after the wife's death, aliened the estates to Sir 
Maurice Berkley and others. I mention this to prove that 
Sir John Barre was not the husband of this Margaret 
Blount, and so acquired property in Bitton, as is stated by 
Atkyns, and copied by Croke and others, who have fol- 
lowed the same authority. 

The arms of Blount of Bitton were, azure, two bars arg., 
over all an escarbuncle of eight rays, or, pomettee and flo- 
rettee gules. Other branches of the family omitted the 
escarbuncle. 

I cannot help thinking that in some manner Robert 
D'Ameneville, the father of Petronilla, to whom the manor 
of Bitton was first granted, was related to Geoff ry de Mande- 
ville, whose shield on his effigy in the Temple Church bears 
an escarbuncle of eight rays, and that therefore David le 
Blund placed that charge over his own coat upon his mar- 
riage with the widow of De Vivon, the heiress of the de- 
scendants of D'Ameneville, orMandeville. There is one fact 
in favour of this view, viz. that the Honour of Gloucester 
was for a time held by Geofiry de Mandeville, — when he 
became Earl of Gloucester " jureuxoris Isabel, the divorced 
wife of John Plantagenet" (Nicolas) : and Bitton was a part 
of that Honour, and some part of the parish is still under 
its j mis diet ion. 

As for the other moiety of the Manor, which was Oxe- 
haye's, and was afterwards called Oldland, that was passed 
to De la More, as appears (Plae. Juratis et Assisis, 15 Edw. 
I.. M. 29). Some of the land he and his wife passed by 
fine (21 Hen. III.) to Robert, the son of Robert de Bitton ; 



254 MONUMENTS IN GLOUCESTER, ETC, 

and the site of Hannam, Barre's Court, is in that part of 
the parish called Oldland. They aliened other portions of 
it; and all that remained to her, when a widow without 
issue (under her maiden name, which, as was customary, 
she retained), she gave to the Nuns of Lacock (Chart, 
fol. 120 a, penes Mr. Talbot). I have in my possession 
the last lease which the abbess granted of these lands, and 
I have identified them as abutting on the Barre's Court 
estate. 

Robert, the son of Robert de Button, having thus ac- 
quired lands at Hannam (it is probable, from the father 
being so called, that there was an earlier purchase), he 
would migrate thither from his father's manerium at Bitton, 
two miles off, and, taking up his residence there on his own 
estate, would naturally be called De Bitton. His descend- 
ants would of course take the same name. 

Supposing it correct, as laid down in this pedigree, that 
Adam de Bitton was the grandfather of John, the " nepos et 
heres " of Thomas de Bitton the Bishop, he must have been 
the father over whose body the chantry chapel of St. Cathe- 
rine was built. But the incised slab was not found there, 
but on the south side of the church, where, from founda- 
tions and other traces, there evidently must have been a 
transept, the very situation in which it is supposed to have 
been usual in early times for the founders of churches 
to have their mortuary chapels. (See a paper by Mr. 
Lethieullier, in 2nd vol. of the Archseologia, p. 292.) 

In 1826, I discovered that slab, and also the slab of 
Emmota de Hastinges close by its side (a lady, who seems 
to have lived before the time of existing records, but no 
doubt she was an heiress and a wife), and a fragment of 
another on which there remained only the word ici; since 
that date, within the very same space, but nearer the body 
of the church, a very early stone coffin has been found, 
in which were some large bones and other human remains, 
and I collected no less than seven or eight sculls within 
the space. My opinion now is, that the slab represents one 
of the Roberts de Bitton, probably the first, judging from 
the position of the slab, in the middle of the chapel (see 
Archseologia, vol. xxii. p. 437), and also the style and cos- 
tume ; and that this site was the burial-place of the family, 
prior to the foundation of the chantry of St. Catherine: — and 




Incised Sepulchral Slab in Wells Cathedral. 

Supposed to be the Memorial of Bishop William de Bitton, 
second of the name, who died A. d. 1274. 



MONUMENTS IN GLOUCESTER, ETC. 257 

that the Bishop was induced, out of respect to his father, or 
from want of room, to select another resting-place for the 
family : in course of years the other would fall into decay, 
especially as the charge of supporting the new one was to 
be borne by the family (see the ordinance infra), and it 
became hidden till its foundations and contents were dis- 
covered in 1826. 

I have made diligent search (by the kind permission 
of Mr. Clifton) among the archives at Worcester, but can 
find no notice of any chantry save one ; — -negative proof in 
favour of my view, that the transept on the south side of 
Bitton Church was the mortuary chapel of the original De 
Bittons. There must have been other monuments there, 
for, besides those already mentioned, I have found frag- 
ments of two cross-legged figures. 

To any courteous reader of these notices of by-gone 
worthies, I would say, 

" Si quid novisti rectius istis 
Candidus imperti : si non, his utere mecum." 

There were two Bishops of Wells, of the same family ; 
the incised sepulchral slab of one is here represented. 

Biographers have not ascertained in what degree the 
Bishop of Exeter was related to the Bishops of Wells ; but 
as in the Plea Roll quoted above, he pleads that he was the 
heir of an uncle William, it is not improbable that the said 
William was the last Bishop of Wells of that name, who 
died 1274. 

H. T. Ellacombe, M.A., F.S.A. 



Carta Appropriationis Ecclesie Sancti Uvely ad obitum 
Domini Thome Episcopi Exonie, &c, prout patet in- 
tuenti. 

Univeesis presentes literas inspecturis Thomas permissione divina 
Exoniensis Episcopus Salutem et pacem in Domino sempiternam. Si 
celestis regni participes effici, si perhennis glorie Dyademate coronari 
concupiscimus, et sitimus profecto summo desiderio vigilantique studio 
diem extremum exanimis, in quo Deus qui cuncta creavit ex nichilo 



258 CERTAIN MONUMENTS IN THE COUNTIES 

judicatures est mundum et redditurus unicuique sive bonum sive malum 
secundum suorum exigentiam meritorum, modis quos restat omnibus 
prout est possibile bonis operibus prevenire, ut igitur post depositam 
mortalitatis nostre materiam per exercitium bonorum operum que 
feceriinus eternorum intuitu dum sumus in via indulgenciam culparum 
quas cotidie contrabimus, ac remissionem penarum quibus nos mundus 
demon et carnis opera reddunt obnoxios, incessanter sanctorum meritis 
et oracionum suffragiis suflfulti, cum ipse DeUs et Dominus omnium ad 
judicandum venerit, facilius consequamur. De premissis non immerito 
sollicite cogitantes, ecclesiam sancti Uvely in Cornubia que de nostro 
patronatu existit cum suis juribus et pertinentiis universis una cum 
jurisdictione in spiritualibus ejusdem ecclesie cum plebe sua consimili 
qualem Archidiaconi Exoniensis Dyocesis optinent in Ecclesiis et 
plebibus sibi subjectis, dilectis in Christo filiis Decano et Capitulo 
nostro Exoniensi in usus proprios assignainus, et per presentis attesta- 
cionem scripture appropriamus, in forma inferius annotata perpetuo 
possidendam, videlicet, quod predicti Decanus et Capitulum suis sump- 
tibus perpetuo inveniant duos presbiteros ydoneos et perpetuos, quorum 
unus pro salubri statu nostro quoad vescerimus missam de sancto spiritu 
cum horis canonicis nocturnis et diurnis, et postquam de presenti 
vita migraverimus pro anima nostra omniumque animabus predeces- 
sorum nostrorum progenitorum ac eciam benefactorum spiritualiumque 
nostrorum missam pro defunctis cum placebo et dirige ac commenda- 
cione singulis diebus hora matutinali ad altare beate marie virginis in 
dicta Exoniensi Ecclesia, alter vero pro anima magistri Thome de 
Bodebam quondam Archidiaconi Tottonye omniumque requie defunc- 
torum idem officium pro defunctis et in forma predicta ad altare beati 
Grabrielis archangeli, cotidie celebrabunt. Presbiter vero pro nobis inti- 
tulatus quinque marcas sterlingorum, celebraturus autem pro anima 
dicti Archidiaconi quatuor marcas cum dimidia nomine stipendiorum 
per manus senescallorum dictorum Decani et Capituli ad quatuor anni 
terminos principales percipient annuatim. Si vero aliquis eorum deces- 
serit vel alias propter culpam suam merito amotus fuerit, alius presbiter 
ydoneus per nos dum vecerimus et post mortem nostram per ipsos 
Decanum et capitulum in locum sic defunct! vel amoti absque mora 
qualibet subrogetur ; et nichilominus dicti Decanus et Capitulum om- 
nia que eisdem presbiteris fuerint necessaria ad divinorum officia exe- 
quenda imprimis et pro anima Celebris memorie Domine Alianore 
quondam consortis Domini illustris Regis Anglie fiat solempnis missa 
de sancto spiritu ad majus altare in Ecclesia Exoniensi per dictos De- 
canum et Capitulum eorumque successores. Et post mortem nostram 
annis singulis eo die quo nos migrare contingat e seculo, per singulas 
anni revoluciones, sollempnis anniversarius dies pro anima nostra in 
perpetuam per eosdem. Ita quod quilibet canonicus, tarn in ipsa 
solempni missa celebranda de sancto spiritu nobis viventibus quam post 
mortem nostram die anniversarii nostri predicti dum hujusmodi sollemp- 
nia agantur, corporaliter presens in choro duos solidos, quilibet vicarius 
duodecim denarios, quilibet Clericus de secunda forma sex denarios, 
quilibet puer chori duos denarios, Clericus de Scakario cum ministris 
suis duos solidos, Custores pro classico duodecim denarios, et quilibet 
presbiter de civitate et suburbio Exonie tunc presens unum denarium 
per manus senescallorum dictorum decani et Capituli, dum ipsa minis- 



OF GLOUCESTER AND SOMERSET. 



259 



teria divina celebrantur in choro juxta antiquam ipsius ecclesie consue- 
tudinem, et fratres niinores Exonie duos solidos ad pytanctiain de 
bonis ipsius Ecclesie perpetuo percipiant ipso die. Proviso tamen quod 
si aliquis in dicta Exoniensi Ecclesia dupHci aut pluri officio fungatur 
non officii sed persone duntaxat in dicta distribucione ratio habeatur. 
Et nichilominus ipsi Decanus et Capitulum invenient quatuor cereos 
circa sarcofagum in quo quiescimus dum placebo et dirige celebrabitur 
et per totum diem sequentem die obitus nostri continue ardentes cum 
sufficienti Thure quod eodem die ad divinum ministerium requiretur. 
Volumus etiam et ordinamus ut totum residuum proventuum dicte 
Ecclesie Sancti Uvely inter canonicos quos predicte solempnitati per- 
sonaliter interesse contigerit equaliter dividatur, et nequaquam in usus 
alios convertatur, salva competenti vicaria in dicta Ecclesia Sancti Uvely 
quam in toto altilagio et toto sanctuario consistere volumus sicut con- 
sistere consuevit ab antiquo per nos et successores nostros honeste 
persone que omnia onera ordinaria debita et consueta sustinebit, in 
quibus reparacionem cancelli includi intelligimus, perpetuis temporibus 
conferenda. Statuimus etiam et ordinamus quod quilibet Decanus et 
Canonicus Exoniensis in sui creatione hanc nostram ordinationem una 
cum aliis et antiquis et approbatis Ecclesie Exoniensis consuetudinibus 
juret per omnia observare. In cujus rei testimonium presentibus literis 
sigillum nostrum duximus apponendum. Actum et datum Exonie Idibus 
Octobris Anno Domini millesimo Ducentesimo nonagesimo Septimo, et 
consecrationis nostre Sexto. [15 October, 1297.] 

An impression of Bishop Bitton's seal is attached. 




260 CERTAIN MONUMENTS IN THE COUNTIES 

Ex Registro Godefredi Gifford. Fol. 39*. 

(Episcopal Archives at Worcester.) 

" Peo Perpetua Cantaria in Capella, &c. Catherine virginis de 
Button ad instanciam Ven. fratris, Dom. Thomse Ep'i Exon. 
concessa." 

E. Universis presentes litteras inspecturis G-odefridus, &c, salutem et 
pacem in Domino sempiternam. 

Cum a nobis quod justum est petitur et honestum, consequens est ut 
ex caritatis affluentia petentis desideria libencius impleamur : Sane vene« 
rabilis fratris nostri Domini Thomse, Dei gratia Exoniensis Episcopi, 
oblata nobis supplicacio continebat ; quod, cum ipse nuper speciali 
devocionis affeccione ductus, quandam Capellam in honore Beatissimse 
Katherinse Yirginis apud Button nostras Diocesis, in qua ipsius patris 
et matris Corpora requiescunt humata, erigi et construi fecerit, Ecclesiae 
Matrici loci ejusdem contiguam et conjunctam, ac quandam Cantariam 
pro animabus eorundem ipsiusque antecessorum et omnium fidelium 
defunctorum idem Episcopus ordinaverit temporum successu faciendam 
ibidem: JSTos ad hujus Cantariam perpetuandam, nostram super hoc 
auctoritatem impertiri dignaremur pariter et assensum. Yolentes igitur 
ejusdem patris votivo affectui libenter annuere, cujus effectus ad hoc 
dirigitur, re ipsa probante, ut cultus divinus per hoc quod agitur am- 
plietur, sperantesque quod ex hoc nullum futurum sit ecclesiae matrici 
prejudicium, presertim cum ipse in se et heredes suos ejusdem Capellae 
et Capellani ministrantis in eadem, onera susceperit, perpetuo suppor- 
tanda, prefatam Cantariam et ipsius ordinacionem ratam et acceptam 
habentes, dicto patri et ipsius heredibus eandem Cantariam habendi 
et faciendi in eadem Capella per Cappellanum idoneum suis sumptibus 
sustentandum, nobis vel alii ad quern de jure pertinet primitus presen- 
tandum, tenore presentium plenam in Domino concedimus facultatem ; 
et ipsam Cantariam, quantum ad nos pertinet, confirmamns perpetuis 
temporibus duraturam, dum tamen dictse Ecclesia3 Hectoris et Yicarii 
affuerit expressus assensus. Et ne hoc apud quenquam, effluentibus 
temporum curriculis, in dubium revocetur, sigillum nostrum presenti- 
bus duximus apponendum. 

Datum apud Bredon 2 d0 Id : Maii A . Dni. MCC nonogesimo. 



OF GLOUCESTER AND SOMERSET. 



261 



DEED AND SEAL OF MATTHEW DE BITTON. 

(MS. Harl. 1443, fol. 41, here printed in extenso.) 

Noyeeixt universi, per praesentes, quod ego Matheus de Button, filius 
et haeres domiui Johannis de Button, militis, tradidi, etc., Johanni 
Pointell et Aliciaa uxori ejus, et Johanni filio eorundem, totumillud tene- 
mentum, etc., quod Llewellinus Beyner (?) quondam tenuit apud Grold- 
well, infra hundredum de Button, etc. Hiis testibus, Nicolao Bareley, 
Edniundo de Blount, Will elm o Marmion, Jolianne Burnell, et aliis. 
Datum apud Hannam, die Sabbati, in festo Assumptionis Beatae Mariae, 
anno regni Begis Edwardi tertii a conquestu vicesimo nono. [Aug. 25, 
1355.] 




NOTICES OF DECORATIVE PAVEMENT TILES, 
ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH HERALDIC BEAR- 
INGS, EXISTING IN CHURCHES IN SOMER- 
SETSHIRE. 



The following notices of certain pavement tiles, exhibiting 
heraldic decorations, and to be seen in churches in the 
county of Somerset, comprise the results of the examination 
of sixty-six churches, in the course of visits made for this 
especial purpose. These ancient decorations claim the 
attention of the antiquary, not merely on account of the 
pleasing designs and elegant arrangements of patterns 
displayed on such tiles, but as serving, not infrequently, 
to point out the benefactors to churches, or those ancient 
families once resident in their vicinity. The observations 
here offered are limited to such decorative tiles as present 
armorial bearings, and to the endeavour to appropriate 
them to the families of the county in olden times, to whom 
they properly belong. 

At the same time, a list will be found subjoined of those 
parishes included in the survey above mentioned, and in 
the churches of which no heraldic decorations of this 
nature were found to exist. 

The first place to be noticed, in which such heraldic tiles 
were found, is Leighland Chapel, in the parish of Old 
Cleeve. In this structure upwards of two hundred deco- 
rative pavement tiles have been preserved, of which twelve 
are heraldic. Several, however, occur repeated, and the 
following are the distinct armorial bearings, here presented 
to view. 

No. 1. Barry of six. — This coat, I presume, was 
intended for that of Pointz, as some of that family bore 
Barry of six, gu. and or ; whilst others bore Barry of 
ten, or Barry of eight, and Paly of ten is the coat assigned 



NOTICES OF DECORATIVE PAVEMENT TILES. 263 

to the name of Pointz in Cott. MS. Faust., E. 3, p. 9. 
But as a branch of this ancient family held the principal 
estate in Leighland for many generations, and as the 
Chapel was near their residence, it appears probable that 
these tiles were intended to display their arms. The family 
was early settled in Somersetshire. Sir Hugh de Pointz 
married Hawise, daughter and co-heiress of William Mallet, 
of Curry Mallet, in that county, by whom he had the 
manor. He died 4 Henry III., leaving issue, Nicholas, his 
son and heir. The manor continued in the family until 
after 1337. In Old Cleeve Church are several monuments 
to the Pointz family ; also in Dunster, which is in the same 
neighbourhood. Some of the family were settled at 
Greenham, in the parish of Ashbrittle, county of Somerset, 
and intermarried with the Chichesters of Arlington, the 
Pynes of East Down, county of Devon, and other ancient 
families. 

No. 2. A Cross engrailed. — One of the bearings of the 
baronial house of Mohun was — or, a cross engr. sa. ; the 
other was — gu. a dexter arm habited in a maunch, erm. 
Sir William de Mohun, who came to England with the 
Conqueror, was of an ancient family in Normandy, and was 
rewarded by the Conqueror with the Barony of Dunster 
(near Leighland) and many other manors in Somerset and 
other counties. William de Mohun, who, with one of the 
Montacutes, endowed the Priory of Brewton in 1142, and 
was buried there in 1160, used the cross engrailed. John 
de Mohun, 18 Edward II., bore it on his seal. And the 
Mohuns, Lords of Okehampton, used no other bearing. 

No. 3. A Trivet. — The family of Trivet, early seated in 
Somerset, had — arg. a Trivet sa. for their arms. They 
were Lords of Otterhampton, 1 1 60, and resided at Durbo- 
rough Heathfield, 1216. Amongst other estates, they held 
lands at the following places in the county : — 49 Henry III. 
at Passlet ; 8 Edward I. at Bawriss ; 3 Edward III. at Oke- 
hampton, in the manor of Wiveliscombe. The manor of 
Bridgewater, long held by them, was sold 6 Henry VI. ; and 
Chilton Trivet, which the family had possessed for many 
generations, passed by marriage to John de Compton, 25 
Henry VI. In a perambulation, 26 Edward L, Sir William 



264 NOTICES OF DECORATIVE PAVEMENT TILES 

Trivet was on the jury, with other persons of note in 
Somersetshire. In 1348, John Trivet was M.P. for the 
county; and in 1386, Sir Thomas Trivet was Admiral of the 
South of England. 

No. 4. Three Fusils in Fess. — The arms of the Monta- 
cutes, a family long connected with the county of Somerset. 
Drogo de Montacute was one of the chieftains who came to 
England with William, Duke of Normandy, in the retinue 
of Robert, Earl of Morton, under whom he enjoyed the 
manor of Shepton Montacute, county of Somerset, which 
became the seat of his barony. He also was rewarded by 
the Conqueror with Sutton Montis (a name corrupted from 
Montacute), which the family held until temp. Henry 
VIII. Other manors and estates were also bestowed on 
him by William I. for his services. William de Montacute 
was Sheriff of Somerset, 1205, 1206, 1207 ; and in 1306 
another of the same family served that office. Simon 
de Montacute was M.P. for the county in 1315. The 
arms of the family are still to be seen in Charlcombe 
and Chedzoy Churches. One of the Montacutes endowed 
the Priory of Brewton (with William de Mohun) in 1142. 
Temp. Edward III., William de Montacute, second Earl of 
Salisbury, married a daughter and co -heiress of John, Lord 
Mohun, of Dunster, and in her right held the manor of 
Catcombe (near Leighland), besides other possessions in 
Somersetshire. She died 3 Henry V. 

No. 5. Fretty. — The Stantons bore, Fretty, gu. and or; 
and at one time they possessed considerable estates in the 
county of Somerset. Robert Stanton, temp. Henry II., 
and after him Sir Geoffrey (temp. Henry III.), possessed 
lands at Timbsborough, Stowey, and other places in So- 
merset. White Stanton was held by the family temp. 
Edward II. 

No. 6. Appears to be designed for — Quarterly > a bend. 
— These arms were borne by Fitz Nicholas. Sir Thomas 
Fitz Nicholas, who held Tickenham, county Somerset, 7 
Richard III., was descended from Roger de Tickenham, 
living temp. Richard 1. Catherine, daughter and heiress of 
Sir Thomas Fitz Nicholas, married Robert Pointz, who held 



EXISTING IN CHURCHES IN SOMERSETSHIRE. 265 

the manor 5 Henry IV. : it remained in the family until 
1640, when his descendant, Sir Nicholas Pointz, resided 
there. This bearing may, however, be that of the Loring 
family — quarterly arg. and gu. a bend of the second* The 
sinister direction of the bend on this tile, it should 
be. observed, may be owing to an inadvertent error of the 
workman, in not reversing the coat in preparing the stamp 
or mould by means of which these tiles were made. 

No. 7. Gyronny of eight. — The coat of the Peverills, an 
ancient family, who had large possessions in the west of 
England, one of whom, Sir Thomas Peverill, temp. Edward 
III., married Margaret, sister of Sir Hugh Courtney, and in 
her right held the manor of Wooton Courtney, near Leigh- 
land. It remained in the Peverill family until temp. 
Henry VI. 

No. 8. Three Cinquefoils. — The baronial family of Bar- 
dolf bore, az. three cinquefoils, or. Hugh de Bardolf was 
Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset, 1 189. The founder of the 
family came to England with the Conqueror ; anciently they 
had a seat at Burleston, county Dorset, and held consider- 
able estates in that and other counties. In the church of 
East Harptree, Somerset, is the quartering of Bardolf on 
a monument to Sir John Newton. 

No. 9. Valr. — The Beauchamps of Hache Beauchamp 
had this bearing. The chief of the family, John de Beau- 
champ, was summoned to Parliament in 1299. In 1304, a 
Chantry was endowed at Stoke-under-Hamdon, by one of the 
family. They possessed Shepton Beauchamp for many gene- 
rations: Chafcombe, 7 Edward II.; Chelworth, 8 Edward II.; 
Ilton, 17 Edward III.; besides other estates in Somerset- 
shire. Temp. Edward III., John de Beauchamp, of Hache, 
married Alice, daughter of Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of 
Warwick. 

No. 10. A Pale Lozengy. — The Furneaux, of Kilve, 
county Somerset, descended from Furnelles, lords of that 
place in 1199, had for their arms, sa. a pale lozengy, arg. 
Walter de Furneaux held the hamlet of Holford, by service 
of one knight's fee, of John de Mohan, 4 Edward III. 



266 NOTICES OF DECORATIVE PAVEMENT TILES 

Members of the family represented the county in 1328 and 
1345; and one was sheriff in 1305. 

No. 11. Designed, I presume, for a Bend charged with 
three Roses — which are the arms of Cary. # This family 
at one time held considerable estates in Somerset. Their 
ancestor was Adam Cary, of Castle Cary, county Somerset, 
from whom fifteen descents are given in Harl. MS. 1641, 
p. 65. Adam Cary was living 1198. Members of the 
family intermarried with the Courtney s, Pawletts, Port- 
mans, &c. 

No. 12. Seems to be intended to represent a Fret 
engrailed. — I do not know any family with such arms con- 
nected with Somersetshire. 

Exton. — In the church of this parish there are many 
decorative pavement tiles; only one now existing there 
displays any heraldic design. 



XX 



WA 



No. 13. This may be intended for a 
Pale between four Quatrefoils. I am, 
however, wholly at a loss to suggest any 
Somersetshire family to whom such a 
bearing belonged. 



Nettlecombe. — One heraldic tile only exists here. 

No. 14. Five Lozenges in Bend — the arms of the ancient 
family of Raleigh, descended from the Raleighs of Raleigh, 
county Devon, temp. Henry II. They held Nettlecombe from 
1 1 88 to 1 422. Ralph de Raleigh claimed lands at Porlock in 
1 189. Simon de Raleigh possessed part of the manor of Cut- 
combe (thence called Cutcombe Raleigh), 26 Edward I. It 
came to him from the family of Tort, of Oule Knoll in 
Carhampton parish. 4 Edward III., John de Raleigh held 
the manor of Allerford of John de Mohun. 16 Richard II., 
Peter Bratton held Culbone of John de Raleigh. 7 Henry 
VI., Simon de Raleigh had lands at Limberscombe. 1359, 

* The bend is here incorrectly given, no the stamp or mould. Similar errors oc- 
doubt, as sinister, by an oversight of the cur in other examples of heraldic tiles, 
workman, in not reversing the design upon 



EXISTING IN CHURCHES IN SOMERSETSHIRE. 267 

John de Raleigh was sheriff, and in 1363 M.P. for the 
county of Somerset. 

St. Decumans. — In the church of this parish there 
exist about two hundred decorative tiles, of which forty 
present heraldic bearings, some of them repeated ; only 
fifteen are distinct coats, and of these several are the same 
as were before described, found in Leighland Chapel. About 
fifteen years since, the whole of one aisle of the church was 
paved with decorative tiles ; they have since been displaced, 
and those which remain here are mostly about the font. Nos. 
1, 3, 4, (which was also discovered in Old Cleeve Church,) 
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, as found in Leighland Chapel. 

No. 15. A Bendlet between (possibly) six Roses or Qua tre- 
foils. — This maybe the coat of the Brideport family, which 
removed from Dorsetshire into Somersetshire. They bore 
— arg. a bend az. between six roses gules. 

No. 16. A Bar between six Crosses Potent. — This coat 
may have been intended for a fess between six cross cross- 
lets, the arms of Beauchamp, a family which had estates in 
Somerset at a very early period. Richard de Beauchamp 
held lands in the county in 1100. His descendant John, 
in 1272. John de Beauchamp was M.P. for Somerset in 
1307 and 1313. Thomas de Beauchamp, 1399 and 1424. 

No. 17. This may be designed for six Roses, 3, 2, and 1, 
(Palton?) John de Palton was lord of Palton, co. 
Somerset, 20 Edward II. His great grandson, Sir William 
Palton, married a daughter of Sir John Worth, of Bromp- 
ton. Ralph, Sir William's brother, was of Camerton, in 
the same county. The Paltons also held Elworthy, a few 
miles from St. Decumans, 20 Edward II. 

No. 18.- Three Bends.— The coat of the 
ancient house of Newburgh. Roger de 
Newburgh held lands of the Mohuns in 
Somerset, 1327. John Newburgh was 
sheriff of the county, 1420; and in 1485, 
Thomas de Newburgh was one of the 
resident gentry. John de Newburgh mar- 
ried Margaret, daughter of Nicholas Pointz, 

t 2 




268 



NOTICES OF DECORATIVE PAVEMENT TILES 




of Curry Mallet. A pedigree of the Newburghs, of Berkley, 
in the county of Somerset, is given in Harl. MS. 1445, Visit. 
1623, and their arms appear in the church of that place. 

No. 19. Three Chevrons. — The arms 
of Clare. Richard Fitz Gilbert, who 
came to England with William I., was 
ancestor of the Earls of Gloucester, who 
bore — or, three Chevrons, gu. He held 
lands at Porlock, in Somersetshire. The 
family had estates there, 7 Henry III. 
Gilbert de Clare, temp. Edward I., and 
Robert de Clare in the same reign, possessed lands in the 
county of Somerset. Sir John Mallet of Enmore married 
a daughter of Robert de Clare. 

No. 20. A Bend Lozengy. — A branch 
of the ancient family of Sydenham, long 
resident in the neighbourhood of St. 
Decumans, had for their arms — arg. a 
bend lozengy sa. The Sydenhams held 
property in Somersetshire in King John's 
time ; they possessed Sydenham, in 
Bridge water, in his reign, and flourished 
there upwards of 500 years. Richard, second son of Wil- 
liam de Sydenham, of that place, lived at Combe Sydenham, 
temp. Edward III., and appears to have been the first of the 
family who bore these arms, the elder branch having for 
their coat — arg. three rams sa. The descendants of Richard 
continued to use the bend lozengy, which appears on a mo- 
nument to Sir George Sydenham, of Combe Sydenham, 
1661, in Stogumber Church; and on a monument to one 
of the family, in Great St. Thomas' Church, Exeter. 
They held lands at Timberscombe, Porlock, Ashbrittle, 
and many other places in Somersetshire, from 1200 to a late 
date. The Sydenhams represented the county, in 1449, 
1554, 1669, 1678, and 1702. 

In the following list of churches visited, those places are 
enumerated in which no heraldic tiles were to be found ; 
those churches where any decorative tiles exist, are here 
also noticed, an indication which may possibly prove ac- 
ceptable to the antiquary visiting Somersetshire, who may 




DECORATIVE HERALDIC TILES, IN SOMERSETSHIRE 




No. I.— Points. 




No 3.— Trivet. 



W 




No. 7.—Peverell. 




Ho. 2. — Mohan. 




fm 



V 



Ho. 4. — MontacutB. 




5.— Stanton, or Audley. No. 6. — Pitt- Nicholas, or Lonng. 




No. 8.—Bardolf. 



Tiles in Leighhnd Chapel, par. of Old Cleete. 



DECORATIVE HEBAXDIC TILES. IN SOMERSETSHIRE 




No. 9,—Beauchamp of Haehe. 




No. 11,— Cary. 




No. 14. —Raleigh. 



(*++ 



A *.+/ 



No. 16. — Beauchamp. 




No, 10.— Furneaux. 




No. 12.— fAbf known). 




No. 1 b.—Brideport ? 




No. \l.—Palton. 



No*. 9—12, highland Chapel. No. 14, Nettlecombe. No. 15, 16, 17. 5/, Decuman 't 



EXISTING IN CHURCHES IN SOMERSETSHIRE. 269 

take interest in ancient church decorations of this descrip- 
tion. At the following parishes the search proved fruit- 
less : — 

Carhampton, Wooton Courtney (a few decorative tiles, 
but none heraldic), Lydeard St. Lawrence, West Bag- 
borough, Cothelstone (a few tiles, none heraldic), Asholt, 
Enmore, Goathurst, Crocombe, Bishop's Lydeard, Bromp- 
ton Ralph, Tollard (many decorative tiles, but none he- 
raldic), Heathfield, Halse, Clatworthy, Langford Budville, 
Raddington (a fine collection of tiles, the little church 
having apparently at one time been paved with them, none 
however heraldic), Fitzhead, Hillfarrence, Ash Priors, Oake, 
Mil vert on, Huish Champflower (a few tiles, none heraldic), 
Chipstaple, Selworthy (one only, not heraldic), Treborough, 
Exford, Dulverton, Whithypool, Winsford, Stoke Pero, 
Porlock, Luccombe, Old Cleeve (a few, only one of them 
heraldic, being the same as No. 4, found at Leighland), 
Cannington, Charlinch, Spaxton, Monksilver, Minehead, 
Over Stowey, Nether Stowey, Kilton, Holford, Stringston, 
Stoke Courcey, Doddington, Kilve, Bicknoller (a few tiles, 
not heraldic), Dunster, Withycombe, Upton, Withiel, Flory, 
Timberscombe (some, none heraldic), Little Stoke, Williton, 
Elworthy, Stogumber, West Quantoxhead, East Quantox- 
head, Cutcombe (a few, none heraldic), Luxborough, and 
Samford Bret. 



Lewis Way. 



AN ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST OCTAVO EDITION 
OF TYND ALE'S " NEWE TESTAMENT." 

BY THE REV. JAMES LEE WARNER. 



It is perhaps more than a coincidence, that the city 
where we are now assembled should be doubly associated 
with the names of Wickliffe and Tyndale. It was not 
merely the play of fancy, but a just and logical inference, 
which, in the mind of the church historian, led to that 
touching reflection on the first of these great men : — " The 
brook did convey his ashes into Avon, Avon into Severn, 
Severn into the narrow seas, they into the main ocean ; 
and thus the ashes of WickliiFe are the emblem of his doc- 
trine, which is now dispersed all the world over." And if 
we have ever gathered with interest round a Druid's grave 
— if we have ever speculated (not without emotion) on the 
identity of a monarch's dust ; surely, all that interest and 
all that emotion well befit us here, on the banks of the 
classic river, immortalised by Wickliffe's ashes no less than 
by Shakespeare's verse. 

The mind is apt to associate the two great translators. 
And yet the interval between them may be measured by no 
less than the difference between the pen and the printing 
press. The lapse of more than a century does but feebly 
convey to us the change which had passed over the world 
from Wickliffe to Tyndale. 

"Imprimit ille die quantum non scribitur anno." In 
1430, the New Testament of Nicholas Belward had cost 
him four marks and forty pence, a sum nominally equi- 
valent to 21. 16s. 8d., but more properly estimated by 40/. 
of our money. " Twenty years afterwards,'* says the Mar- 
tyrologist, ' ' the same price will serve well forty persons 
with so many books." And yet, where now are these pre- 
cious volumes ? Of Tyndale's first edition — of the 3000 



ACCOUNT OF TYNDALE'S cc NEWE TESTAMENT." 275 

copies of his 4to. New Testament — a mere mutilated frag- 
ment now alone survives ! Of the earliest 8vo. edition, 
only one copy, with all its chapters (but that lacking its 
title-page), in like manner tells the tale ! But the history of 
these editions forms so interesting an episode in the curiosi- 
ties of ancient literature, that they are well deserving of 
notice on an occasion like the present, which brings the mem- 
bers of our society into immediate contact with Tyndale's 
" magnum opus " in one of its very earliest impressions. 

The first official mention of Tyndale's New Testament is 
found in the " Prohibition sent out by Cuthbert Tonstall, 
Bishop of London, to the Archdeacons of his diocese, 
October 23, 1526." And whereas in that year there is 
evidence from other sources that Christopher Endhoven, a 
printer, of Antwerp, put forth an edition of Tyndale's Tes- 
tament ; it was long universally conceded, that the corre- 
spondence of date was sufficient to prove Endhoven's the . 
edition thus prohibited, and it has been hastily assumed 
that no earlier edition had ever appeared. From Foxe to 
Hartwell Home, however, this conclusion was arrived at in 
the face of many difficulties. The language of the " Prohibi- 
tion " itself (which is given by Foxe at length) specifies at 
least two editions — one with glosses, another without them. 
The residence of Tyndale at Worms rendered it highly 
improbable that he should have entrusted his MSS. to a 
stranger at a distance, and carried his sheets through the 
press without devoting to them his own personal superin- 
tendence. Happily the research and acumen of an author, 
now living, the Rev. Christopher Anderson, of Edinburgh, 
enable the biblical archseologist to pursue his way through the 
above difficulties, and to pronounce without hesitation that 
Endhoven's was in fact the third edition of Tyndale's Tes- 
tament, for that the great translator himself had previously 
elaborated, first, his quarto with glosses, and secondly (or, 
to speak more correctly, simultaneously), his octavo without 
glosses — both, as may be imagined, amidst much hindrance 
and interruption. 

It was about the end of April, 1525, that Tyndale arrived 
at Cologne, with Roye, his amanuensis, and there, intent 
upon his purpose of giving the Holy Scriptures to his 
countrymen in their own language, he lays down at the 
press of Peter Quentell, a celebrated printer in that city, 



276 AN ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST OCTAVO EDITION 

the first page of his " Prologge," which opens with those 
memorable words :— 

€f)t ^roiosst.— J ftabe fcm translator (bret&ren 
anlr sustors most fiere antr tmtierlp betourtr in 
Cbrtst) tfte netoe Cessment 

Does any one require evidence that QuentelPs types were 
employed ? Let him take the initial letter of this very 
" Prologge," as preserved in the unique fragment in the 
library of the British Museum, and let him compare it with 
the initial letter of St. John's Gospel, in the Latin Bible of 
Rudelius, of which Quentell printed the first edition in 
1527, and all his doubts will vanish. But further, does he 
require evidence tending to verify the date above assigned to 
the publication ? Let him carefully examine the woodcut, 
which Quentell has twice used in his first folio edition of 
the treatises of Rupertus — " In Matthceum, libri xiii.," and 
" De glorificatione Trinitatis, libri ix.," which were fiuished 
at Cologne, June 12, 1526. There it has been mutilated, 
whereas in the New Testament it appears in its full dimen- 
sions, thus proving the Testament to have been the earlier 
publication. 

But the case does not rest on mere typographical iden- 
tity. The presses of Germany, in this eventful year, 
teemed more than ever with treatises of polemical divinity. 
As is quaintly observed by a contemporary : — " Typogra- 
phia, ceu amplissima qucedam Machina, tormentaria ex- 
cepit et brevi tempore multiplicavit, et quasi densissimam 
grandinem ejaculata est." — Matth. Judex apud Wolfium. 
Luther and the Reformation were at all costs to be put 
down, if possible, by their own weapons. Of sixteen 
publications, which Panzer has enumerated as issuing in 
1525 from Quentell's establishment, no less than three- 
quarters of the number are directly anti-Lutheran. Fisher, 
Bishop of Rochester, and Cochlceus, were by far the most 
active in this controversy, nor could Tyndale and his asso- 
ciate long escape the searching eye of such antagonists. 
But here we will let Cochlceus tell his own story, premising 
that he was at Cologne in 1525, but not in 1526. After 
reciting his discovery — " Nempe versari sub prcelo tria 
millia exemplarium Novi Testamenti Lutherani, in Angli- 



OF tyndale's "newe testament." 277 

canam linguam translati, ac processum esse jam usque ad 
literam Alphabeti K in ordine quaternionum," — and then 
relating the means which he took to interdict the printer, 
he thus adds the sequel : — "Duo apostates Angli arreptis 
secum quaternionibus impressis aufugerunt navigio per 
Rhenum ascendentes Vuormaciam, ubi plebs pleno furore 
Lutherizabat, ut ibi per alium typographum cceptum 
perfi cerent opus." — Cochl. coram, de act is et script., 
M. Lutheri. Interesting would be the task of verifying 
these facts by an appeal to the verse and chapter, where 
traces of such an interruption could not be mistaken. 
But, alas ! the wish is vain ; for the only known fragment 
of this New Testament, Tyndale's quarto with glosses, com- 
prises only a portion of the sheets printed at Cologne 
before the untoward interruption which Cochlceus has thus 
accounted for. 

Leaving the quarto, then, as not under present observa- 
tion, let us follow our translator to Worms, and connect 
his past proceedings with those which, under Providence, 
were now to be conducted to an issue more favourable ; 
for he not only finished his quarto, but produced, in the 
very same year, an octavo without glosses, both which 
editions appear, as it were, simultaneously in the hands of 
the English reader. When he selected Cologne as the 
arena of his great struggle, he had perhaps looked only to 
the facilities which the place afforded as ground on which 
the triumphs of printing had long been conspicuous. This, 
as we have seen, proved the very cause of his interruption. 
His hasty flight from Cologne seemed to his enemies to 
have exhibited the "famum ex fulgore;" but at Worms 
the converse was apparent, and there we may recognise the 
"exfumo lucem " which Tyndale so promptly elicited. 

Worms, indeed, was far from celebrated in the annals of 
early printing. In the middle of the sixteenth century, it 
is recorded as one out of the twenty-three towns in Ger- 
many where printing had attained perfection (Matt h. Judex 
ut sup.); but only a few years previous to the period which 
we are now illustrating, the Worms Press was in its infancy 
in the hands of Peter Drachen of Spires, whose " Psalterium 
Latino- Germanicum" is still extant. But whether Drachen 
of Spires or John of Erfurt led the way, the business was in 
1525 followed in the imperial city by a printer of heredi- 




278 AN ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST OCTAVO EDITION 

tary celebrity, whose colophon somewhat quaintly indicates 
his name and occupation as no less a man than the son and 
the namesake of the renowned Peter Schoeffer — the inventor 
of letter-founding, the associate of Fust 
and Gutemberg. To him Tyndale dis- 
covered his views, and the result is now 
before us, in the small but interesting 
impression of the " Newe Testament," 
the octavo without glosses, which, by 
the liberality of the curators of the 
Baptist Library in this city, is this day 
opened to the inspection of the Institute. 
A special description of the volume thus before us may 
deservedly be placed on record, not only from its intrinsic 
worth, but also from its extreme rarity ; for the only known 
duplicate, which is in the library of St. Paul's Cathedral, is 
in too imperfect a state to compete with this of Bristol. 
The St. Paul's copy, moreover, is destitute of all ornament ; 
but one circumstance attaches to it, which renders it of 
peculiar interest, for it is treasured on the very spot, conti- 
guous to Paul's Cross, where, three centuries ago, a Cardinal 
had a scaffold on which he stood in robes of purple, and 
thirty-six Abbots, mitred Priors, and Bishops cast upon the 
blazing faggots the Word of God, as heretical. 

The copy now before us may be described no less than 
that as " a brand plucked from the burning," but probably 
under different circumstances ; for its earliest possessors, 
whoever they may have been, evidently did honour to it in 
the high places of the earth. From them, through various 
hands, it descended to the Earl of Oxford, in the eighteenth 
century. With him it figured as a gem in the Harleian 
Collection ; afterwards changed owners at the inadequate 
price of 15s. ; was degraded to the counters of the trade ; 
finally became the property of one who appreciated its 
value, and placed it where it now stands. All its initial 
woodcuts have been finely illuminated, and at the begin- 
ning of every chapter an illuminated Roman capital has 
been made to cover and supersede the type as originally 
printed. Anderson, in his Appendix, has given one speci- 
men, viz. that prefixed to Matthew. They are in all ten 
in number. Each Evangelist precedes his own Gospel : 
the Apostles in assembly, the Acts; St. Paul, his Epistles 



OF tyndale's "newe testament." 279 

to the Romans and to the Hebrews ; Peter, John, James, 
and Jude, their own Epistles respectively. As to the 
initial letters, they exhibit Roman capitals in combination 
with German gothic text, a practice very general in books 
of this period. Three varieties of the letter " P " com- 
mence St. Paul's Epistles, being white on a black ground, 
relieved with white foliage ; and St. Peter's Second Epistle 
has its initial " S " ornamented in a similar manner, with 
the sun, moon, and stars. It is, perhaps, to be regretted 
that these various patterns should be concealed by the 
opaque colours used in the process of decoration ; for 
attention must be particularly directed to these distinctive 
features (of which good representations were published in 
Bagster's Edition, in 1836) : and by these it must be 
determined, whether with Cochlceus and his followers we 
adhere to Worms, or whether with others we follow the 
random assertion of Sir Thomas More, that Tyndale was 
at Wittemberg with Luther, when he translated the New 
Testament. 

Tried by the above test, the evidence in favour of Worms 
is most clear and decisive. For a short time subsequently 
to the publication of Tyndale's Testament, there issued from 
the press of Schceifer the celebrated Worms Bible, a folio, 
whose high rarity is equalled only by its extreme beauty. 
The " Biblia beyder Allt und Newen Testaments Teutsch " 
is indeed unknown in England, but the Royal Library at 
Stutgard possesses it, rich in woodcuts from the blocks of 
Arnold of Worms, in the same style of illustration which 
pervades Tyndale's Testament. 

And if this presumptive evidence be deemed insufficient, 
we obtain a more conclusive proof by turning in the Worms 
Bible, to the Second Epistle to the Thessa- 
lonians, the only place where we discover 
a woodcut of the smaller size, viz. If x | 
inches, evidently from the same block as 
that used in Tyndale's Testament at the 
beginning of the Epistle to the Romans. 

And if it be clearly settled that Worms 
was the cradle of this glorious undertaking, 
then the remaining question, as to the 
priority of either edition, may be briefly 
disposed of. The quarto edition, with its glosses, was con- 




280 ACCOUNT OF tyndale's "newe testament." 

fessedly the first begun at Cologne, in 1525, by the evidence 
of Cochlceus ; the translator's Hegira follows ; he flies from 
Cologne to Worms ; and in the year following, the " Pro- 
hibition," of Tonstall, denounces the octavo as well as the 
quarto as having appeared in the interval. Tyndale did 
not issue the ponderous quarto alone, described, as it had 
been, in letters from Cochlceus to the English King, and 
watched for by Wolsey and Fisher in every port of England. 
But its companion, the octavo, might easier escape detec- 
tion. Both were ready within the twelve months, and, 
carried through the press together, we may fairly be allowed 
to call them, as they were in truth, simultaneous. 

The circumstances of their publication may further serve 
to explain the hold which the Reformation obtained on the 
eastern counties of England. England was indifferent, while 
the counties of East Anglia " were a people that jeoparded 
their lives unto the death." And whence this difference ? 
Doubtless, because the eastern coast (as we were fitly re- 
minded at Norwich) was not girt in " by the barren waste 
of waters which in those times bounded the western coast 
of our island, but by the highway to the shores of the 
great kindred nation, which has been the wellspring of 
intellectual life to the kingdoms of northern Europe " — 
(see Transactions of the Institute at the Norwich Meeting, 
p. 60), — the nation, we may here with equal fitness add, 
the asylum of the martyr Tyndale. 

If the above remarks have in any degree called forth 
admiration at the progress of so great a man, we shall 
execrate the base treachery which violated that asylum, 
and we shall mourn over the fact that William Tyndale has 
no memorial to meet the eyes of Englishmen on their 
own native soil, save that volume which his own hand 
translated, and which has been properly designated- 1 - 
" England's Best Hope." 



<6 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



III 



lilt 



021 396 046 5 



